Daughter of Pan
by LadyOlympia
Summary: What if Pan had a daughter before he faded? What if she blamed Percy and his friends for her father's death after all these years? After the Giant War. I don't own PJO or HoO, Rick Riordan does. T because I am paranoid.
1. Prologue

**AN: This chapter is directly taken from Rick Riordan's The Battle of the Labyrinth**

_The walls glittered with crystals – red, green, and blue. In the strange light, beautiful plants grew – giant orchids, star-shaped flowers, vines bursting with orange and purple berries that crept among the crystals. The cave floor was covered with soft green moss. Overhead, the ceiling was higher than a cathedral, sparkling like a galaxy of stars. In the center of the cave stood a Roman-style bed, gilded wood shaped like a curly U, with velvet cushions. Animals lounged around it – but they were animals that shouldn't have been alive. There was a dodo bird, something that looked like a cross between a wolf and a tiger, a huge rodent like the mother of all guinea pigs, and roaming behind the bed, picking berries with its trunk was a wooly mammoth. _

_ On the bed lay an old satyr. He watched us as we approached, his eyes as blue as the sky. His curly hair was white and so was his pointed beard. Even the goat fur on his legs was frosted with gray. His horns were enormous – glossy brown and curved. There was no way he could've hidden those under a hat the way Grover did. Around his neck hung a set of reed pipes. _

_ Grover fell to his knees in front of the bed. "Lord Pan!"_

_ The god smiled kindly, but there was sadness in his eyes. "Grover, my dear, brave satyr. I have waited a very long time for you."_

_ "I…got lost," Grover apologized._

_ Pan laughed. It was a wonderful sound, like the first breeze of springtime, filling the whole cavern with hope. The tiger-wolf sighed and rested his head on the god's knee. The dodo bird pecked affectionately at the god's hooves, making a strange sound in the back of its bill. I could swear it was humming "It's a Small World."_

_ Still, Pan looked tired. His whole form shimmered as if he were made of Mist. _

_ I noticed my other friends were kneeling. They had awed looks on their faces. I got to my knees._

_ "You have a humming dodo bird," I said stupidly._

_ The god's eyes twinkled. "Yes, that's Dede. My little actress."_

_ Dede the dodo looked offended. She pecked at Pan's knee and hummed something that sounded like a funeral dirge. _

_ "This is the most beautiful place!" Annabeth said. "It's better than any building ever designed."_

_ "I'm glad you like it, dear," Pan said. "It is one of the last wild places. My realm above is gone, I'm afraid. Only pockets remain. Tiny pieces of life. This one shall stay undisturbed…for a little longer."_

_ "My lord," Grover said, "please, you must come back with me! The Elders will never believe it! They'll be overjoyed! You can save the wild!"_

_ Pan placed his hand on Grover's head and ruffled his curly hair. "You are so young, Grover. So good and true. I think I chose well."_

_ "Chose?" Grover said. "I – I don't understand."_

_ Pan's image flickered, momentarily turning to smoke. The giant guinea pig scuttled under the bed with a terrified squeal. The woolly mammoth grunted nervously. Dede stuck her head under her wing. Then Pan reformed. _

_ "I have slept many eons," the god said forlornly. "My dreams have been dark. I wake fitfully, and each time my waking is shorter. Now we are near the end." _

_ "What?" Grover cried. "But no! You're right here!"_

_ "My dear satyr," Pan said. "I tried to tell the world, two thousand years ago. I announced it to Lysas, a satyr very much like you. He lived in Ephesos, and he tried to spread the word."_

_ Annabeth's eyes widened. "The old story. A sailor passing by the coast of Ephesos heard a voice crying from the shore, 'Tell them the great god Pan is dead."_

_ "But that wasn't true!" Grover said._

_ "Your kind never believed it," Pan said. "You sweet, stubborn satyrs refused to accept my passing. And I love you for that, but you only delayed the inevitable. You only prolonged my long, painful passing, my dark twilight sleep. It must end."_

_ "No!" Grover's voice trembled._

_ "Dear Grover," Pan said. "You must accept the truth. Your companion, Nico, he understands."_

_ Nico nodded slowly. "He's dying. He should have died long ago. This…this is more like a memory."_

_ "But gods can't die," Grover said._

_ "They can fade," Pan said, "when everything they stood for is gone. When they cease to have power, and their sacred places disappear. The wild, my dear Grover, is so small now, so shattered, that no god can save it. My realm is gone. That is why I need you to carry a message. You must go back to the council. You must tell the satyrs, the dryads, and the other spirits of nature, that the great god Pan _is_ dead. Tell them of my passing. Because they must stop waiting for me to save them. The only salvation you must make yourself. Each of you must-"_

_ He stopped and frowned at the dodo bird, who had started humming again._

_ "Dede, what are you doing?" Pan demanded. "Are you singing _Kumbaya_ again?"_

_ Dede looked up innocently and blinked her yellow eyes._

_ Pan sighed. "Everybody's a cynic. But as I was saying, my dear Grover, each of you must take up my calling."_

_ "But…no!" Grover whimpered._

_ "Be strong," Pan said. "You have found me. And now you must release me. You must carry on my spirit. It can no longer be carried by a god. It must be taken up by all of you."_

_ Pan looked straight at me with his clear blue eyes, and I realized he wasn't just talking about the satyrs. He meant half-bloods, too, and humans. Everyone._

_ He closed his eyes, and the god dissolved._


	2. Chapter 1: I Might Have a Sibling

Chapter 1:

A Year After the Giant War

Percy's POV

I was in the arena, training against Annabeth, when I heard the shouts begin. I glanced at Annabeth, and she nodded, knowing I was about to ask her if she wanted to go see what the fuss was all about.

When we arrived at the borders of camp, I saw a girl around seventeen running up the hill towards Thalia's tree. She looked exhausted and was, in all reality, stumbling rather than running. I looked beyond her to see what she was running from, but I saw nothing.

Annabeth nudged me with her elbow. Hard.

"Ow! What the Hades was that for?" I complained.

"Look above the girl," was all she replied.

I did. And then I mentally slapped myself. The monster she was running from, wasn't running behind her. It was flying above her.

"The Caucasian Eagle," Annabeth said.

"What?" Was my intelligent response.

"The Caucasian Eagle. That's what's chasing her. It was sent by Zeus to eternally feed on Prometheus," Annabeth explained. "It must have escaped and found a new target."

I looked more closely at the girl. She was covered in scratches and her long dark hair was a mess from the bird's attempts to grab her.

She had been looking up at the bird when she tripped over a root and fell hard onto the ground. The eagle swooped down and looked like it was going to skewer her with its beak. Right before it could impale her, she rolled to the side, and the eagle's beak was stuck in the ground.

All the campers cheered.

Then, the most shocking thing happened.

The girl spread her palms facedown over the ground and had a look of utmost concentration. The campers fell silent as they watched water rise from the ground in thin streams to her hands. She motioned towards the eagle, which was desperately trying to pull its beak out. The water changed directions and picked up speed as it approached the bird. When the streams of water finally reached the bird, the leading ends had sharpened and solidified into pointed tips that ran right through the eagle's eyes and heart.

Oddly enough, the points resembled the bird's beak. I suppose it was her form of payback for all the times it had pecked her.

The eagle let out a cry of pain before dissolving into golden dust.

All heads swiveled to the girl, staring in shock. She, on the other hand, allowed her eyes to roll back into her head as she collapsed, succumbing to her exhaustion.

Will Solace rushed to her side, checking her pulse.

"She's alive."

There was a collection of sighs of relief from the campers.

Will picked her up, bridal style, and began walking towards the infirmary. I ran over to him.

"Think she's a daughter of Poseidon?" Will asked.

"I don't know who else it could be," I replied. "Do you know of any other gods who have control over water like that?"

"Nope," he answered. I didn't know if I liked that Dad had another kid. I wanted to think that maybe, he would only have me and stay faithful to Mom. I know, I know. If he was faithful at all, he would be towards Amphitrite, but hey, sue me for my wishful thinking.

"How old do you think she is?" I wondered.

"Seventeen or eighteen," was the answer. Seventeen or eighteen…that meant she was around my age. And if Poseidon was her father, then the Great Prophecies might have been about her, and I wouldn't have had to go through all the wars. Why would Poseidon protect her and let me go through all of that?

"Look, Percy, it might have been because Poseidon thought you were stronger and a better leader. Besides, we don't actually know who her godly parent is until she is claimed," Will said. I hadn't realized that I had asked the question out loud.

We reached the infirmary and he set her down gently on one of the cots. He trickled some nectar into her mouth and on her cuts.

Now, all we could do was wait.

* * *

><p>I left the infirmary and headed over to Cabin Six to see Annabeth. She was hunched over, her blonde hair covering her face as she worked. I knocked lightly on the doorframe and she jumped up, startled, her pencil jerking across the paper.<p>

"Gosh, Percy, don't sneak up on me like that!" She began carefully erasing the stray mark.

"Boo."

"Very funny, Seaweed Brain. What's up?" Annabeth asked.

"Stuff…" I answered, not really knowing how to go about talking about the new girl.

"How specific. Does this 'stuff' have anything to do with the girl?" She looked up at me, knowingly.

"Do you think she's a daughter of Poseidon?" I blurted, having given up on trying to find any other way of how to approach the subject.

"If I had to bet, yes. But don't dwell on it too much. We don't know anything for certain yet."

"Yeah, I know. That's what Will said, but I can't stop wondering." I started bombarding Annabeth with questions. "How did she even know about camp? She must have known about her water powers, since she used them so well. Why didn't Dad tell me anything?"

"Well, why don't you ask him? Didn't Tyson fix your saltwater fountain?" Annabeth responded.

"I can ask him, but then what happens? If he says that she's his, how does it go from there? Should I ask him why he didn't mention her until now? And why is she just getting here now? Every demigod is supposed to get to a camp and be claimed by the time they reach thirteen! Oh, gods, this is a mess," I rambled.

"Hey, hey. Shhh…it's going to be okay, Seaweed Brain." She wrapped her arms around me and laid her head on my chest. "Why don't you just wait and worry about it tomorrow. Come on, let's go eat dinner, and you can ask your father when you sacrifice." On cue, the conch horn sounded. My Wise Girl unwrapped her arms and grabbed my hand gently, guiding me to the pavilion.

* * *

><p>I grabbed my brisket and immediately walked over to the fire. I wanted to know the answer to my questions so badly, I ended up throwing half of it into the fire. "For Poseidon. Dad, a girl arrived at camp today, and she has water powers. I have to know: is she yours?"<p>

As I walked away, I heard my father whisper, "_Time will tell_." Gotta love those cryptic messages. Thanks, Dad. That was really helpful. NOT.

I ate what was left of my dinner, pondering his few words. His very, very, very few words. How much time will it take before I get answers?

That question haunted me for the rest of the night.


	3. Chapter 2: She Wakes Up

Chapter 2:

Percy POV

I woke up to find sunlight streaming in through the windows, running across my eyes. And, only my eyes. "What the Hades, Apollo?" I grumbled. Faintly, in the back of my mind, I could hear him laughing.

Then I remembered. The girl. The one from yesterday. The one running from a European bat – no that's not right. The Caucasian Eagle. But most importantly, the one with water powers. I had to see if she was awake.

I leaped out of bed, threw on my standard orange Camp Half-Blood shirt and opened the door to run outside.

Only to body-slam my girlfriend, who gave a surprised gasp as she fell over, dropping a plate of food as her butt was introduced to the ground. I was more fortunate, having caught myself from falling on her, and was standing over her, rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly, my face scarlet.

"Seaweed Brain!" She cried. "That was your breakfast!"

"Sorry! I didn't know you were there!" I apologized.

"Well now you don't have breakfast and I have cream cheese on my shirt." She snapped.

"Sorry…I just woke up late and-"

Annabeth cut me off. "And you wanted to go see if that girl who showed up yesterday was conscious."

"Yeah. Is she?" _Please let her be awake, please_, I prayed to whichever god would listen.

"No. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go change." Annabeth stormed off. Great. Today's starting off excellent already.

I picked up the plate and put the bagel halves and grapes onto it before throwing it away. The Demeter kids would kill me if I just left the food there.

I wandered over to the infirmary to see if Will Solace could give me any updates, but he wasn't there. The girl lay alone in the infirmary, her dark hair pooling around her. It was a dark brown; so dark, it was almost black. She was tall and lean…and gorgeous.

If she is my sister, I'm going to have to protect her from boys, especially Apollo's kids, despite the fact that she might be older than me.

"_Father…father, no. Please, don't! Please! Don't leave me,_" she murmured. I instantly felt bad for her, and a bit guilty. Her dad had abandoned her, and she felt the way the rest of us demigods felt. Even if Poseidon was her father, she had known him, and he had left her alone to fend for herself. How could I have thought that she was being protected? She must have faced many bad situations in her life, along with the fact that she probably felt crazy, seeing things no one else saw.

"No!" she cried. Her eyes flew open and I caught a flash of green. She bolted upwards into a sitting position and leaned forward, panting heavily. She pulled her knees to her chest and started crying. I stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. I guess I startled her, since her head whipped around and she stared at me. Our green eyes met, and I thought to myself, _Well that settles it. I've got a sister_.

"Hey, are you alright?" I quickly berated myself for saying something so stupid. Obviously, she wasn't, or she wouldn't be crying.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she said, sounding embarrassed as she quickly wiped away her tears. Her voice was soft, almost musical. I bet if she whistled, she would sound like a songbird when it sings. The way you would imagine Snow White from the fairy tales to sound.

"My name's Percy. What's yours?" I asked, deciding to ignore her tears.

"Percy?" She sounded like she recognized my name.

"Yup. Percy Jackson at your service," I joked.

But she didn't laugh. Instead, her eyes dilated from shock and fear. Wait, fear? What did I do now?

She scrambled off the bed and ran for the door. Aw, Styx.

"Wait! Wait up! I'm not going to hurt you! It's okay! You're in a safe place!" I cried, chasing her. Towards the woods.

"Stop! Don't go in the woods! There are monsters!" I tried to warn her. She paid no attention and disappeared into the trees.

* * *

><p>Right after the Mystery Girl fell unconscious:<p>

Mystery Girl POV:

The darkness shifted around me and I found myself back in my old home: the cave in the labyrinth. I hated this dream. It has plagued me for about three years now, and it never ceased to make me wake up crying. Just like every time I had this nightmare, I heard some voices and footsteps approaching, and when I looked up, I knew Father had heard them as well.

"Darling, you need to hide. Change form, quickly," Pan said.

"Yes, Father," I replied. I couldn't decide which form to use. I hate being rushed! I finally decided on a dodo bird and just in time. Two demigods, a satyr, a Cyclops, and a mortal walked in. Dad talked to them as I hummed, doing my best to stay unsuspicious. I knew what he was talking about, as he had planned for this day for about a year. I knew I needed to accept it, but I couldn't. I couldn't help but believe that if this quest never happened, then my father wouldn't…wouldn't fade. I blamed the fates, but most of all, I blamed the group standing in my home right now. They were trying to get rid of nature, I didn't care what Dad said. I didn't pay attention to what they looked like. All of their faces were a blur. I was only focused on my dad.

Father's image flickered, and my stomach dropped. It wasn't supposed to happen yet! He wasn't supposed to leave yet!

"Father! Father, no! Please don't, please! Don't leave me!" I cried. His form reappeared, thankfully, and he smiled at me.

_Dede, don't worry. I'll never leave you_. He said to me telepathically. My name isn't Dede, but more of a code name. When I was younger, he taught me how to change forms into the animals of the wild. We had joked about naming each of my forms, and that of a dodo was his favorite. He named the dodo form Dede, and I had hated it at first. But as time went on, I began to love his version of a name of endearment.

Pan finished talking to the group, and then, he looked at me and smiled. Then, he was gone.

I uttered a last, "No!" before I awoke. I curled up and started crying into my knees. Then, out of nowhere, a hand was on my shoulder, scaring the Hades out of me. I whirled around and stared. It was a tall, handsome, dark haired boy with startling green eyes. "Hey," he said, gently. "Are you alright?"

Oh, Hades. No one was ever supposed to see me cry. I furiously rubbed my cheeks dry. "Yeah, yeah," I answered quickly. "I'm fine." _Please go away. I need to mourn alone._ I begged silently. Alas, no such luck. He kept talking.

"My name's Percy. What's yours?" He – Percy – asked. Wait, Percy? One of those kids that killed my dad?

"Percy?" I asked cautiously. Maybe it was another Percy. Otherwise, I was in big trouble. He would try to kill me, too, once he found out the Wild was still alive.

"Yup, Percy Jackson at your service." Oh, gods, it _was_ him! And here he was. Mocking me. I had to get out of here.

Before he could react, I was off that bed and out the door. I had no idea where I was, but I could sense woods nearby. I headed in that direction. I could hear him yelling after me. Not safe in the woods, huh? It's the _only_ place I'm safe. He's trying to trick me, I decided. Without hesitation, I plunged into the woods with the trees as my protection.

**AN: I will put up a poll for who you would like our daughter of Pan to be paired with. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 3: My Father Was Pan

Chapter 3:

Percy POV

Before I even reached the woods, I could hear Chiron catching up to me. In a few seconds, he was at my side with Will on his back.

"Dude! What did you do?" Will asked. "I'm walking to the infirmary to check up on Jane Doe, and the next thing I know, she's running away with you chasing her!"

"It's not my fault! I was trying to stop her!" I defended myself.

Chiron intervened: "Percy, my boy, I think Will just wants to know what caused her to flee."

"She woke up crying, and when I introduced myself, she just up and left! I don't know what I did!" I exclaimed.

"Perce, it was more than that. She looked absolutely terrified. Are you sure that's all you said?" Will inquired.

"I'm telling you, that's it! Nothing else happened," I explained. "I was like, 'Hi, my name is Percy,' then she stared at me and repeated my name, so then I said my full name. That's when she flipped out."

"Do you know her?" he asked.

"No! If I did, don't you think I would know if she was Poseidon's kid or not?" I reminded him.

"Well she obviously knows you. I'm going to go look for her. You stay here," Will said. When I raised my eyebrows at him, he explained, "You'll just scare her away again."

"Oh. Riiight. Duh! I knew that," I tried and failed miserably to cover up my seaweed-brain moment.

Chiron smiled down at me. "Percy, my boy, why don't we get back to our daily activities. I believe you have training in archery today?"

I groaned. "Don't remind me."

* * *

><p>Daughter of Pan's POV<p>

I ran for about half an hour until I realized Percy was no longer chasing me. Actually, I couldn't hear anyone following me, only the sounds of nature: the creek below me bubbled, the squirrels chattered, and the birds chirped every now and then. I was back in my element. I scaled a tree and sat on a thick branch, perfectly curved for me to rest on. The sun was almost right overhead, and I allowed myself to relax and soak up its rays. The first time I've really relaxed since I lost Father.

When he faded, I couldn't believe it. I had prepared for it and readied myself for the day when I no longer would have him by my side, and yet, I was in denial for a long time after his passing. The ones who were on the quest left with tears in their eyes, but mine were completely dry. I was in shock. After they left, my father's pets became dust and I realized I was truly alone. That's when I had my first breakdown. I noticed that the only thing left in the cave was my father's set of reed pipes. Fearing they would disappear as well, I grabbed them and immediately put them around my neck. I felt slightly better, but I couldn't shake the fact that they were meant to be around Father's neck, not mine.

I needed to put aside my grief for now, though, and follow the instructions Father had left me for when he died. A will, he said the mortals called it. The first task on the list was to: _Travel East to New York until you reach the headquarters for Delphi Strawberry Service._ I left the cave and focused on exiting the Labyrinth until I could see the faint blue path marking my way. The gift of being clear-sighted was passed down through the matrilineal line of my family. But when my mother died during a hellhound attack when I was a toddler, Pan decided to take me in. Since I couldn't get lost in the Labyrinth, my father realized that he could bring me to live with him, rather than face the dangers of the world above.

After a few minutes, I was in the "upper world" as my father and I referred to it. It wasn't long before I was attacked by some dracanae, but I took care of them easily. Pan had taught me how to fight with my powers, so I was able to use them with a flick of my wrist, barely having to concentrate. It was only when I was exhausted that it took effort.

After maybe, an hour or so, there was an earthquake. It was pretty quick, and it didn't cause a lot of damage, but I knew it wasn't supposed to have even happened in the first place. I went back to where the entrance to the Labyrinth had been, but as I had suspected, the Delta was gone. Somehow, the Labyrinth had fallen, and now, I no longer had a safe place.

Over the past three years, I had travelled by foot during the night to New York, and slept in the forests and woods during the day. I was constantly wary of surprise attacks, but I was able to handle myself pretty well, never having much of an issue with the monsters. Still, I was beyond relieved to have finally arrived at the base for Delphi Strawberry Service.

I was jerked out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps approaching from below. I looked down and saw a man around my age with bright, alert eyes searching for something. As far as I could tell, he was unarmed. Maybe he was lost. Anyway, he didn't look like a threat, and I was in my domain if I needed to call on my powers.

I dropped from my branch and landed lightly in front of him. "Can I help you?" I asked, consumed with curiosity. "You seem to be looking for something. A trail, perhaps?"

A smile graced his features. "Actually, no. I was looking for you, and here you are." He didn't seem to dangerous, and yet, I was suspicious.

"Why were you looking for me? I don't know you."

"Ah, see, you are one of my patients, and when I see one running out of the infirmary, naturally, I need to find her to bring her back," he answered good-naturedly.

"Patient? I am not ill," I answered. I was totally confused. "Who are you?"

"My name is Will Solace, son of Apollo. I am the head counselor of the Apollo cabin, and currently your doctor. I was in charge of your recovery from all those nasty scratches and bruises, and making sure you would wake up," he said. "May I ask your name?"

I wasn't ready to give my name up to him, even if he had aided in taking care of me. After some hesitation and an extremely awkward silence, I decided. "My name is Lillian Rowan."

"Lillian Rowan," he repeated. "It almost rhymes." He smiled and chuckled softly. "You know, my father, Apollo, is also the god of poetry."

"Yes…" I wasn't exactly sure where the conversation was headed now.

"Right. So, now that I've found you, would you please accompany me back to the infirmary so that I can do a final check up on you to make sure you are one hundred percent healthy?" he asked.

"Depends," I responded. "Will Percy Jackson be there?"

Will didn't seem surprised by my question. "He shouldn't be. I believe he is currently training. You don't have to answer, but what do you have against him?"

I decided that Will was trustworthy. He seemed kind and honest, and he hadn't done anything that would make me opposed to trusting him. But how do I explain that Percy was the reason my father was dead?

I guess too much time had passed since Will had asked, since he said, "I mean, it's cool if you don't want to answer. I was just wondering."

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said. I wasn't ready yet. Besides, he probably wouldn't believe me. Based on the way he phrased the question, Percy was a guy who most everyone liked.

After we got back to the infirmary, he did a quick check and was about to release me when Percy Jackson showed up at the door. He was smiling and when he saw me, he seemed relieved. _Must be because now he can kill me more easily_. I thought.

"Hey, um…" he trailed off, unsure of how to address me, since he didn't know my name.

"Lillian," Will supplied, earning a glare from me.

"Lillian, I'm really sorry about this morning. I didn't mean to scare you. Are we cool?" he asked, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"Are we cool? _Are we cool?_ No, Jackson, we're not cool. At all. Because you are the reason my father is dead. We will _never_ be 'cool!'" I shouted, furious that he thought we could even become friends after he killed Dad. I spotted a cup of water and pointed at it. The water rose into an ever-changing, shapeless blob. My wrist flicked, and he was doused in water.

He just stared at me, shocked. "You're father is dead?"

"Yes! Did you not even care when you killed him?" I couldn't believe Pan's death had meant so little to him.

"Wait, so your father isn't Poseidon?" Oh my gods, he was slow.

"Of course not! My father was…," my voice trailed off to a whisper. "My father was Pan."


	5. Chapter 4: I Meet Annabeth

Chapter 4

Percy POV

Woah, what? Did she really just say that her father was Pan? As in, the former Lord of the Wild? I didn't know him for long, but based on his millennia in solitude, I'm pretty sure he never had the chance to have any kids with a mortal. But, she couldn't have made it up, it was too bizarre. I looked at her more closely: the forest green eyes, her dark hair color that resembled rich soil, and her voice that sounded like a songbird. It all made sense. There really was no explanation. And when thinking about her decision to make a beeline to the woods when she thought she was in danger, Pan being her father made sense. Her parentage would explain her power over water, since water was part of nature, part of the wild.

But, then again, water was only a portion of nature. Does this mean she has other powers? Not that it would matter anyway. She obviously needed every advantage she could get, living out in the world without any other means of defense. Just looking at her now revealed how tired she seemed. Not tired, as in sleepy tired, but tired meaning that she had been constantly pushed past her limits and her will to fight had already begun to slowly fade.

"Lillian," I said quietly. "Lillian, I'm–"

My wonderful girlfriend decided to rush in at that moment. "Perseus Jackson! Where _have_ you been? Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?" Then she finally noticed that Lillian was awake. Annabeth flushed and introduced herself, "Hello, my name is Annabeth, daughter of Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategy." No, no, no…why did Annabeth have to introduce herself! Lillian's going to think that Annabeth's out to get her, too. She held out a hand for Lillian to shake, but Lillian flinched at the movement. Her wide eyes looked at Annabeth and she lunged forward, attacking.

* * *

><p>Lillian POV<p>

Annabeth? _Annabeth?_ My eyes widened. What was she doing here? She said she had been waiting. She must have been waiting to meet with Percy to discuss how to kill me. And now they're both here. Annabeth thrust her hand at me, and I flinched. She might have a hidden knife up her sleeve for a surprise attack. My eyes looked up to see Annabeth's steely, gray eyes, and I knew she was here to murder me. I couldn't let that happen. I wasn't going to let my father's assassin kill me, too.

I lunged forward, already changing shape into a wolf with my claws extended. Annabeth was frozen in shock for a second before she, too, snapped into action. She pulled out a knife – I knew it! – but she was too slow. My claws raked down her arms and sides. In return, I was cut across my forehead, and I jumped back, growling. I tensed, readying myself to jump, while Annabeth got into a fighting stance. I was pleased to find she was bleeding more than I. My muscles released and I sprang forward, my fangs bared, to find my path blocked. I hit Percy and we tumbled to the ground. I pushed off him and continued forwards, towards Annabeth. I leapt and crashed into her, my jaws snapping near her neck.

I wanted revenge. I wanted her to pay for killing my father and then attempting to kill me, too.

My sharp claws punctured her shoulders and she cried out, struggling beneath me. I leaned forward again, aiming for her neck to end the fight when I felt a pain in my side. I howled and ran a paw down the side of her face, creating deep scratches and eliciting a scream from her. Her cry gave me a sense of satisfaction, but I decided to end it. For the last time, I headed for the side of her neck and began to bite.

That is, until something hit me very hard in the temple, knocking me unconscious.

* * *

><p>Percy POV<p>

Lillian was a werewolf? Whatever she was, it didn't matter at the moment. She was mauling my girlfriend. I uncapped Riptide, and just as Lillian went in for the kill, I knocked the butt of my sword against what I estimated to be her temple. Lillian collapsed, remaining in her wolf form.

I rushed over to Annabeth. "Wise Girl, are you okay?" There were thin streams of blood, running down her face, and she basically looked like she was attacked by a hellhound.

"Do I look okay?" she snapped. Will came over with wet cloths and began to wipe her face clean of blood. "Will, I've got it. I know what to do," Annabeth snatched a cloth from his hand and began wiping her own face.

"Sorry, just trying to help," he said, backing away.

"We appreciate it," I tried to amend for Annabeth's attitude. He flashed me a "Don't worry, it's cool" smile and went over to take care of Lillian.

"She's a freaking lycanthrope," Annabeth grumbled as she drank nectar, sighing in relief as it healed her wounds.

"That means werewolf, right?" I clarified.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain, it does. You know, sometimes I wonder about just how stupid you are," she retorted. Did she seriously just insult my intelligence? Like, really mean to insult it?

"You know," I mimicked. "Sometimes I wonder if you actually care about me and my feelings. I was just trying to clarify! There's nothing wrong with that! You know what? Until you get out of whatever funk you're in, don't talk to me."

"Oh, trust me. I don't think I need to spend any more time with idiots that are just distractions like you," was her response before I stormed out of the infirmary.

"Hey! Clarisse! You, me, at the arena in five minutes!" I demanded. I needed to blow off some steam.

"Sure thing, Prissy! Prepare to get your butt whooped!" Clarisse said.

* * *

><p>Lillian POV<p>

I woke up to find Percy sitting next to my bed. I was still in my wolf form, so I quickly shifted to a human.

"Hey, Lillian," Percy said. "You've been out for a long time and missed lunch, so I brought you some. I figured it's been a while since you have last eaten."

"Why do you keep up the act, Percy?" I asked. "I know you want to kill me!" I cursed my voice for trembling.

"What? No! Lillian, I promise, I don't want to kill you!" Percy explained.

"Stop it! Stop lying to me! I know you want to get rid of the Wild, just like every other human!" I cried. I couldn't take it anymore. He was obviously faking ignorance and I couldn't stand him looking at me like I was crazy.

"Lillian," Percy said softly. "Lillian, look at me." After a couple seconds of inner debate, I decided to ignore him. "I swear on the River Styx that I have no intention of hurting you or the Wild."

Thunder rumbled, but nothing happened to him. I finally looked up into his beautiful, mesmerizing, sea green eyes, and I was shocked to see the amount of honesty that his eyes held.

"It's too late. You have already hurt me," I whispered. "Why did you kill my father?"

His eyes saddened and he looked down. When he was able to meet my eyes again, he answered, "I'm really sorry about Pan, Lillian. But, we didn't kill him, though. It was simply his time to go. His domain was disappearing too quickly for him to be able to adjust and the impact on him was too harsh."

"No. You're wrong," I said. "He wouldn't have died, unless you showed up. He was alive, until you showed up."

Percy looked mournful. "But he wasn't, Lillian. You know he was fading."

"But he held on! He refused to give up!" I said. Tears sprang to my eyes. "He continued to live, year after year! Dad was waiting, and when the satyr felt his presence, Dad was ready. But then the satyr left! And he hung on for another year!"

"I know," Percy said. He looked like he was about to say more, but a centaur trotted in.

Percy stood. "Chiron," he said respectfully.

The centaur smiled at him. "Percy." Then Chiron looked at me. "Ah, young lady, I have yet to meet you. My name is Chiron. I'm the activities director at this camp. Who might you be?"

"Lillian Rowan, sir," I answered. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," Chiron said. "Have you been claimed?"

I felt a pang in my heart, since I would never be claimed, but Percy came to my rescue and answered for me. "She's the daughter of Pan, Chiron."

"Oh, _oh!_ How interesting!" Chiron said. "I'm very sorry for your loss, my dear. My condolences."

"Thank you," I said.

"Well, I came to tell you that tonight, we will have a game of Capture the Flag, and it would be wonderful if you could play. Of course, only if you are well enough," he informed.

"Tonight? Yes, I can play. How does the game work?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure Percy wouldn't mind telling you, right, Percy?" he said.

"Yeah, I can tell her," Percy said.

Chiron left, and Percy began, "So…"


	6. Chapter 5: I Talk About Shape Shifting

Chapter 5

Percy POV

"…It's a really fun game. You just can't maim or kill," I concluded. Lillian nodded her head in understanding. I suddenly remembered she would need to be able to defend herself. "Oh! And we'll need to get you a weapon and some armor," I added.

Now, she didn't look so happy. "Can't I just use my powers?" she wondered.

"You can, but you need to be able to protect yourself," I said.

"My powers can protect me just fine," she answered, almost as if she was insulted. Maybe it was just me, but when I saw her use her powers to defend herself from the eagle, it exhausted her. Okay, wait, it _definitely_ wasn't just me, because she totally passed out from using her powers.

"Are you sure it won't exhaust you?" I asked, trying to keep her safe, but also from being mad. After all, that's all I seem to be able to do lately, especially when it comes to Annabeth.

"What? No! Of course not!" she cried. Okay, she was definitely insulted now. Styx. "I've been using my powers since I was a kid. Father was only able to train me with my powers, so he made sure to do the best he could. I rarely ever feel tired when I use them," she justified. Rarely ever feel tired? Then why did she pass out?

I guess my disbelief showed on my face, since she looked absolutely pissed. Backpedalling, I said, "That trick you did to kill the eagle was pretty cool." She raised an eyebrow and stared, obviously unimpressed with my attempt to get back on her good side. "You know, the whole, summoning the water from the ground and turning it into a spear." She raised her other eyebrow and now I was starting to feel uncomfortable. I corrected myself and continued rambling: "I mean, two spears. Yeah, two. And making it look like the bird's beak so it looked like it was killing itself. And the squawk it made? You know?" I ran out of words. She continued to stare for a couple of seconds while my face flushed darker and darker.

And then she burst out laughing. She was _laughing_! At my expense! I was about to storm out of the room when she spoke, wiping a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry for laughing, Percy." Even if her apology hadn't been enough for me, her musical voice had. For some reason, I couldn't ever picture myself getting mad at her as long as I heard her voice.

"It's cool," I heard myself saying. "I'm the one everyone usually laughs at anyway." I cracked a smile, but it was forced and I could tell she knew it was, too.

"Percy, I–" But I cut her off. I didn't want her pity.

"Lillian, really. It's fine," and this time I gave her a genuine smile because I knew she truly cared.

"So," she fumbled to change the topic.

"So," I repeated, also at a loss of what to say next.

After a long pause, she finally asked, "Who's team will I be on?"

"Probably on my team. It's Poseidon, Hades, Apollo, Demeter, and Ares against Athena, Hermes, Zeus, Hephaestus, Dionysus, and Aphrodite. Since Athena, which means Annabeth, is on the other team, you probably don't want to chose that one," I said.

"Oh, okay. Where do I stay?" she asked.

"Until the Hephaestus cabin finishes building your cabin, I think you'll be staying the Big House," I pointed. "It's the big – for lack of a better word – cabin over there. Do you have any belongings with you?"

She thought for a moment. "Not really, just a necklace." She pulled out a necklace that had a charm that looked like reed pipes out from under her dress. I bet Lillian had bought it as tribute to her father. She had barely shown it to me before hiding it again.

* * *

><p>Lillian POV<p>

When he asked me if I had any belongings, the only one that came to my mind was my necklace with my father's reed pipes on it, attached as a charm.

I had met Hecate a while ago, it has been about a year, and she wanted to recruit me for some sort of war, but I declined. She kept trying, though, and thought that bribing me was the way to get me to join. After insulting my choice to wear my father's "hideous" reed pipes around, she turned it into a charm and attached it to a simple silver chain. If I ever wanted to play the reed pipes, all I had to do was take the charm off the necklace. I had to admit, it was a lot easier to wear the necklace than the full-size reed pipes, but I still refused to join her army.

After all, following Dad's directions east was my priority, and I did not want anything to get in the way of honoring my father's wishes.

I pulled out the necklace and showed him, telling him that it was my only belonging. And it was. I didn't care when I traveled if I had anything else. Getting food had been easy. All I had to do was ask some animals, and they were more than happy to direct me to a food source, since they could sense Pan's presence on me. The day before Percy and his group came to our cave, Father had given me a strong blessing, allowing me to have almost complete control over almost everything in his domain

It has been really helpful in the long run. I was able to persuade the birds to let me know when humans were nearby singing a certain tune. Then, I could either choose to avoid the Wild Wasters, as I had dubbed them, or shape shift into a bear or wolf and scare them away. During the day, I had begun to fly east, rather than walk, but eventually, I was too tired to shape shift and I had to continue my journey by foot again.

I looked at Percy, analyzing him. I had obviously judged him wrong – he seemed to be a very kind person, but I still couldn't let go of the fact that if he had never shown up, Father would have kept living. Percy was handsome, and slightly sexy, with his clear, bright green-blue eyes contrasting with his black hair. He had a great body, and – where is this coming from? I'm Pan's daughter, not Aphrodite's, thank the gods. It was nice hanging out and talking to Percy.

Of course, that's when it had to end. Next thing I hear is, "Over there! Chiron, there it is! The werewolf that tried to bite me!" I looked over to see Annabeth pointing at me and looking behind her at Chiron. I persuaded a root to rise slightly and I was rewarded when Annabeth tripped over it, falling on her butt with her hand on the ground, catching herself. She had let out a shriek, drawing an amused smile on my face. A couple of campers were laughing at her, and her face turned a bright red. If only I could take a picture of this moment.

Chiron trotted over to Annabeth concerned, but she waved him away and directed his attention back to me. He looked at me warily and approached me. "Ms. Rowan, can I speak with you a moment?"

"Sure," I answered. "Ask away."

He looked uncomfortable. "Sorry, my dear, I meant in private."

"Is it about me being accused of being a werewolf?" I sighed.

"Yes, would you please follow me into the Big House?" he asked.

"As long as Annabeth doesn't come, I will," I replied. I looked to see her open her mouth to protest, only to snap it shut when Chiron gave her a look, daring her to challenge him. He turned and began walking ahead of me, so I took that as my cue to start following. Once we arrived at the Big House, he opened the door for me to enter, and then he came in after me.

After we were both inside and the door was shut, I said, "I'm not a werewolf, Chiron. I'm a shape shifter."

"Does the animal you change into have any effect on your personality?" he questioned.

"No, it doesn't. I just use my wolf and bear forms the most often when I am fighting," I answered.

"Would you mind if I asked you to change shape now?" he asked.

"What do you want me to change into? I'll shift, regardless of what you choose, I just want to know what you want me to be," I said.

"Which animals can you become?" he inquired.

"Animals of the past and present, they just have to have existed," I explained.

"How about a horse?" he suggested.

_Of course he would chose a horse_, I thought. I closed my eyes and shifted. When I opened them again, I was about a foot shorter than he. Every time I changed into the same animal, I always had the same features, so I knew that I would have a black mane, dark brown, almost black body, and green eyes. My eyes would never change.

"That's amazing," he breathed.

"So, are we good?" I questioned, shifting back, ready to leave.

"Yes, yes, of course. Just don't get into a fight again, please," he said, distractedly. He was probably still thinking about my abilities.

* * *

><p>After I got back outside, I saw Percy leaning against a wall, talking to someone through an Iris Message. I noticed it was a Chinese boy who looked our age. Percy noticed me and introduced us to each other. It turns out that we can both change shapes. Percy slipped away while Frank and I talked to each other. It wasn't until Percy returned that I realized how long we had been chatting.<p>

Percy's eyes were twinkling. "We'll call you later, Frank. Capture the Flag is starting soon." Frank bid farewell and then slashed his arm through the mist, severing the connection.

"Ready, Lillian?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

**AN: This was really just a filler chapter, but next will have Lillian's first Capture the Flag! I also have a poll up on my profile for you to vote on this story's pairing. So far, Percy is winning. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 6: I Play Capture the Flag

Chapter 6

Lillian POV

Despite my determination to not have to wear the heavy, awkward armor and have a weapon, Percy's insistence won. I really don't know how that happened. I gave all the best reasons I could think of: (1) the armor would slow me down and make me an easier target; (2) it was heavy and would my ability to use my arms to guide water; and (3) having to hold a weapon would prevent me from using my hands when using my powers. He even was able to talk me into wearing the hideous helmet with the stupid looking mane-thing coming out of it. I felt so stupid and completely awkward.

"Alright, gather around everyone!" Percy shouted to our team. "Does everyone know what they're doing?" He looked around and everyone nodded. I, of course, had no idea, but I would wait to ask him afterwards. "We're just doing the usual plan, since that usually works for us. Apollo's cabin will be in the trees surrounding the area, for our second line of defense. Demeter's cabin will also be in the area near the edges of the woods, waiting to trip those who get past our archers and then trap them with vines. Ares' cabin will be split in half: one half will be our first line of defense, and the other half will be on offense. Nico, you'll shadow travel to the flag?" Nico nodded. "Great, and I'll be on offense, covering Nico. Any questions?" No one answered. "Alright, then. Places!"

Everyone cheered and started walking away. After a few seconds, though, a conch shell sounded and everyone started running, to get to where they needed to be, until it was only me in the clearing, and Percy was already heading away from me. "Percy! Wait up!" I called.

He turned. "Oh, I didn't give you a position, did I? Why didn't you call out?"

"I didn't want to be the only one to ask," I blushed.

"I get it. That's cool. What would you rather do: offense or defense?" he asked.

"I don't know. I thought you already had a plan," I answered.

Now it was his turn to blush in embarrassment. "I, uh…um…" he temporized. "How about defense?"

"Sounds fine. What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"Since you're a daughter of the God of the Wild," he started. "Could you help the Demeter cabin in trapping the ones who get too close to the flag?"

"Yeah, I can do that." Once he heard that, he started to leave.

"Great! I'll see you later. Have fun!" he yelled as he ran off.

"Where do I stand?" I asked no one in particular. I decided to head over to where Demeter's kids were placed, but I couldn't find anyone. I stood just inside the woods, closed my eyes, and stretched out my senses. Everyone was hidden really well, and if I had been unable to feel where everyone was, I would have never been able to find anyone. I knew there was someone to my left, so I turned and walked towards the bushes. I could feel that whoever it was, was hiding in the middle bush, so I looked around for the opening and walked in. Immediately, my feet were caught by roots, and someone jumped on me, knocking me to the floor.

"I don't know how you found this, or who you are, but you are now a prisoner of the blue team," a girl hissed in my ear.

"Hey, um, I'm on your team. I'm the new girl. Percy told me to help the Demeter team with the defenses," I mumbled into the dirt.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't recognize you," she said. "Katie Gardner," she introduced herself.

She stretched her hand out for me to shake, and I took it, answering, "Lillian Rowan." I took off my heavy, useless helmet and put it on the ground beside me.

"I'm surprised you were able to find this spot. I dug it out a few years ago, and no one has ever found it," she said.

"Oh, yeah, I, uh, I can sense where things are when I'm in nature with them," I said awkwardly. I'm great with animals, but I'm really not good with people.

"You're a daughter of Demeter?" she asked. "Nice to meet you, sis!"

I shook my head. "I'm not a daughter of Demeter, sorry."

"Then who's your godly parent?" Katie asked, confused.

"Pan, Lord of the Wild," I said, proud of my heritage.

"But didn't he," she started and trailed off when she realized what she was saying. I winced. I hated being reminded that he wasn't alive anymore. I liked to pretend that he had just sent me here for the summer, and I would go home at the end of it.

"Yeah, yeah he did," I cut her off harshly.

"Sorry," Katie said, looking uncomfortable.

I sighed. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped. I just don't like to talk about it."

"I shouldn't have asked," she responded. "Truce?"

I laughed. "Definitely."

We heard a rustling off to the left. I stretched out my senses and could tell that someone was approaching. "There is one person about twenty feet away." I informed.

Katie just stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably. "So, how do you want to do it? Use branches and roots to trip people, then trap them using vines with thorns?" Then I had a fantastic idea. I whistled, loudly and clearly, calling for pigeons.

"Be quiet! Are you trying to get us caught?" Katie demanded. I didn't answer. She would find out soon enough.

"Fine, don't answer. Let's just do the vines with thorns thing," she said. Katie pushed away some branches that were hanging around us to provide a window, through which we could see our opponent, but he couldn't see us. I mentally asked for the vines nearby to travel along the ground towards the kid. The vines crossed his path and he fell over them. Immediately, I told the vines to wrap around him and to cover everywhere but his face. The faster he struggled, the faster and tighter the vines grew. Eventually, he gave up, and just laid there. He looked like he was from the Hermes cabin, with the sharp features and sly looks.

I realized that Katie hadn't helped at all, so I looked at her annoyed. She didn't show any sign of embarrassment on her face. Instead, Katie was looking behind us at a mass army of pigeons. "Lillian," she whispered.

I ignored and began talking to the pigeons in their warbling language. "Thank you for coming," I greeted.

They all answered at once: "Of course, Lady Lillian."

I rolled my eyes. All creatures respected me as if I were a goddess. "Please fly around and distract the people with red hats," I said.

"At once," they all said and flew away.

"What the Hades was that?" Katie asked, wide-eyed.

"I called the pigeons to help us. I didn't think there were any rules against it, are there?" I questioned, concerned I would be accused of cheating.

"No," she said.

"Good," I said. "Let's get back to trapping our opponents?"

"Sure," she said, still shocked. We looked out the window to see the pigeons wreaking havoc. Campers with red plumes were running around, each chased by two or three pigeons. Katie got to work on lifting roots to trip campers and I encouraged the vines to grow quickly around the fallen ones. We made a good team, but I quickly bored and decided to leave the hiding spot so that I could have a better view.

The vines put a dent in the other team's forces, but it wasn't doing nearly enough. Then, I got a better idea. I let out a high pitched squeal three times. The sounds of fighting didn't stop, but seconds later, a new sound was heard. Scratching along the trunks of trees was heard, until it got loud enough that the campers paused to see what was causing the sounds. I knew my forces were waiting for commands, and I chattered out directions for them to attack those with the red-plumed helmets. Everyone was watching me warily, waiting to see what would happen, ready for a surprise attack. I let out one more squeal and a flood of squirrels rushed down the trunks and attacked. Some campers turned and ran, while others tried to fight the squirrels, until they realized it was no use and then running, themselves. Once I thought everyone from the other team had left, I called the squirrels and pigeons off and congratulated them on being so effective before they left.

Unfortunately, I was wrong. The air in front of me shimmered, and a familiar blonde-haired, grey-eyed girl appeared. "Good tricks," she said. "But they aren't enough." Then she whipped out her knife and attacked. I ducked and transformed into a bear. The fur raised on my shackles and I growled. When she came for me again, I was ready. I jumped to the side, turned, and pounced, pinning her to the ground.

"Lillian, you can let her go. We've won," I heard an unfamiliar voice say. I looked to the side to see who it was. Big mistake. As soon as I turned my head I felt Annabeth move. The next thing I knew, a knife was being thrust through my ribs. I stood on my hind legs and roared. Annabeth scrambled up and backed up. I swayed and stumbled as I tried to stay standing. Eventually, the pain was too much and I collapsed onto all four paws, panting. After a few more heavy breaths, even that was too much and I fell to the ground. Unable to hold the heavy bear form, I shifted back. Black spots began dancing before my eyes. I grabbed the handle of the weapon and pulled it out. The pain receded for a second before coming back at full force. Faintly, I could hear some shouts before I lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>Percy POV<p>

As Percy left Lillian

"Great! I'll see you later! Have fun!" I yelled as I left. I wanted to keep Lillian out of harm's way, and I figured having her with the Demeter kids who never participated using physical combat, and used their surroundings instead would keep her safe.

I caught up to Nico just as the horn sounded, signaling the beginning of the game. I ran ahead, clearing a path by disarming and knocking the opponents out. Nico was behind me, waving his hand in front of the disarmed opponents whom I had yet to knock unconscious.

As we worked, we talked about Lillian. Nico had yet to meet her, but was interested in meeting the girl to give her his condolences, especially since he had been present when Pan had faded and gone to the Void. I warned him that she might fear him, but he laughed and shrugged it off with a, "Who doesn't fear me?"

Within fifteen minutes, we had reached the flag. Anyone who might have caused us to meet some resistance was engaged in battle with someone on our team. On our way back, we saw a whole bunch of people from the opposing team running towards us with no rhyme or reason. Actually, they didn't even appear to be running towards us, but rather, away from my team's side of the creek. The campers looked as though they were being chased by…wait, were those squirrels and pigeons?

"Quick, Nico!" I shouted. "Shadow travel to the border of the creek and step over!" He ran for a shadow and reappeared just at the edge of the creek before jumping over. We had won, again!

The flag changed colors, indicating our victory. Nico and I ran over to where the rest of our teammates stood, wondering why they weren't crowded around us cheering as they usually did. As we walked over, we noticed that they were standing around a black bear that was pinning Annabeth to the ground.

"Lillian, you can let her go. We've won," Nico said. I was surprised he realized that it was Lillian. It had taken me a few seconds, and I had actually seen her before. She turned her head to look at us, just as I noticed light glint off something bronze. Celestial bronze. It was Annabeth's dagger, and before I could say a word, the knife was thrust upwards into Lillian's chest. Lillian reared and roared in pain, and Annabeth, now freed, ran away. As Lillian fell over in pain, Nico and I rushed to her side. She shifted and pulled the dagger out of her chest, her eyes sliding shut. Will Solace ran to Lillian and began pouring nectar over the profusely bleeding wound, Chiron helping him in healing the girl.

"What the Hades, Annabeth?" Nico raged. He only ever used his father's name in vain when he was absolutely furious and about to deliver a painful torture. "The game was over!"

"She was going to kill me!" Annabeth defended, her eyes cold and shiny.

I was conflicted. I was as angry as Nico for Annabeth possibly fatally wounding Lillian, but I also felt the need to defend my girlfriend. Speaking of which, what was she? Were we still dating or taking a break?

"If she dies, I'm dragging you to the Fields of Punishment, and I'm not making any promises of whether you'll be alive when that happens," Nico threatened, before vanishing into a shadow.

**AN: Exams are coming up and I need to spend all of my time studying...sorry. But I will update again by the 18th or 19th. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 7: I Get a Prophecy

Chapter 7

Lillian POV

After the darkness took over, my mind drifted through the inky black until it came across an island. It had pure white beaches and a gorgeous rainforest. The spirit of nature and wild emanated strongly from it, enough that I longed to live there and I knew that's how I wanted all of Earth to be. Immediately, my thoughts went to Calypso, but why would I have been sent to Ogygia? A light chuckle brought me out of my wonderings.

"It's not Ogygia, my dear, but I appreciate the comparison," it said. The voice seemed amused, but it wasn't at all sinister.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" I asked, needing to know if it was a friend or foe.

"I am Physis," the voice answered. "The Primordial goddess of nature."

"My lady," I said in awe, immediately dropping into a deep curtsy. "I am honored to be in your presence."

"Why, thank you," she laughed, a rich melody that reminded me strongly of my father's. "I believe you are in need of some help?"

"Yes, milady. The Wild is disappearing. Pan has faded. We need your assistance!" I begged. "There aren't enough people to protect nature."

"I was afraid of that," she answered sadly. "I cannot help you much, my essence has been trapped. But if you could find me and free me, I could help you restore the Wild." My heart leapt. There was truly hope. I suppose it had shown on my face, because she added, "It will take a long time. Don't expect a sudden revolution of nature against humans." I nodded, still to overcome by joy to care.

"How can I free you, my lady?" I asked. "Do you know where you are?"

"I'm afraid not," she said. "I have been trapped here too long to remember. Besides, the name of the place has probably changed over the years, so even if I knew, it would probably be of no use to you."

"Then what do I do?" I was frantic to find a way to restore the Wild. If only Father was still here.

"You must lead a quest to find me," she sighed. "I can't talk much longer. My energy level is low."

"A quest?" I was completely baffled. How was I supposed to lead a quest?

"Yes, my dear. Ask Chiron. He's still around, isn't he?" she asked, her voice fading in volume.

"He is," I answered. I could feel her presence leaving me. "Wait! Please, I have more questions for you!" I cried.

"Find me, and I will," was the last I heard before my surroundings faded with her and I was left in the darkness alone.

It wasn't long before I awoke to the bright lights of the infirmary again. I realized I was alone, and I decided I needed to go talk to Chiron immediately. I sat up quickly, but perhaps too quickly, because my side burned and I froze in the pain. After a couple of minutes of deep breathing and waiting for the pain to subside, I slowly got out of the cot and began walking to the door.

Halfway there, the door opened to reveal Percy and another dark-haired boy talking as they entered. With a jolt, I realized that the other boy was one of the people on the quest that allowed my father to fade. Anger and resentment flared in me, while a little voice in my head reminded me, "_It wasn't their faults. It was time for Pan to enter the Void_."

"Lillian?" Percy questioned softly. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" _What's wrong?_ _What the heck is he talking about?_ I wondered. The boys started walking slowly towards me, as though they were wary about what I would do. I noticed that Percy wasn't looking me in the eyes, but rather at my hands. I looked down and realized, _Duh, your hands are in fists. Of course they think something is wrong._ I unclenched my hands, letting them hang loosely by my sides.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. "I need to talk to Chiron, so if you would please excuse me," I trailed off, trying to get around them to the door.

"Chiron? Why would you need to see Chiron?" Percy asked, his brow furrowing in an adorable way. Wait, adorable? What was I thinking? These two were the reason that I was an orphan and had been for three years. It was their fault that I lost the safety of the Labyrinth and was chased by monsters for three years.

"None of your business," I snapped. They looked taken aback, and without recognizing it, I softened my tone. "I had a dream and was instructed to lead a quest."

"For what?" the other boy asked. Oh my gods, will they never stop asking questions?

"To save the Wild. It's my duty," I answered.

"Are you sure you're well enough," Percy asked.

"Yes, now excuse me, I need to find Chiron," I said impatiently. Didn't they realize how important it was to me? Saving the Wild was what I was raised to do. I walked around them and out the door, scanning the landscape for the centaur. Chiron was nowhere, leading me to believe he was currently in the Big House.

"I think he is in the Big House," Percy voiced my thoughts.

"Thanks," I said and walked away, not bothering to see if Percy or the other boy was following. I opened the door to find Chiron and Dionysus playing pinochle. They looked up and I said, "Chiron, I need a quest."

After eyeing me for a while to make sure I seemed well enough to lead a quest, he answered, "Very well. Follow me and I'll take you to our Oracle." He walked out of the house and led the way to a cave that looked pretty normal with the exception of a few paint splatters along the doorway. Chiron gestured for me to enter and so I did, noticing the redhead near the end, painting away on a canvas.

"Excuse me," I said, clearing my throat lightly. She whipped her head around, startled. When she saw me, she smiled.

"Are you here for a prophecy?" she asked.

"Yes, I how do I get one?" I said.

"Just ask for your destiny," she said, simply. Then she added, "Oh, and when my eyes turn green and smoke comes out of my mouth, don't freak out. It's perfectly normal. Just try to catch me when I fall at the end of the prophecy."

Whenever someone tells me not to freak out, that's when I freak out. My anxiety levels began to rise, but when I saw the Oracle waiting expectantly, I finally managed to choke out, "What is my destiny?"

Just as she had said, her eyes changed to a bright, unnatural green and smoke poured out from between her lips. A raspy voice declared:

_A threesome will travel to save the Wild,_

_A goddess long ago forgotten and exiled._

_Travel to the place where nature is greatest,_

_But be warned: it is not the safest._

_Return the essence of person and spirit,_

_And win a victory to be described only as pyrrhic._


	9. Chapter 8: I Choose My Questmates

Chapter 8

Percy POV

It had been a couple of days after Capture the Flag and Lillian had yet to wake. I was a bit worried, since Annabeth had really seemed intent on killing the daughter of Pan. What if Lillian didn't wake up?

As I walked to the infirmary, I thought to myself, "_Why bother getting a room in the Big House ready for her if she is going to always be in the infirmary?_" I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Per-er-ercy!" a familiar voice bleated. I turned to see Grover trotting towards me in his human disguise. He must have just come from a mission outside of camp, maybe he brought a demigod. Either way, I was glad to see him. Since he was the current Lord of the Wild, he had been busy lately with little time to just hang out and relax.

"Hey, G-man! Long time, no see! What have you been up to?" I asked.

"Not much, just helping some dryads put out some fires in the Midwest. The drought has been getting worse," he said. I just nodded, trying to look like I was listening, but my mind kept wandering to a green-eyed brunette. I guess he noticed because he changed the topic. "Of course, that's not why I'm back at camp. I heard that Pan had a daughter and that she is here?"

"Yes, I'm headed to see her now. She's in the infirmary because Annabeth decided to stab her in the chest _after_ Capture the Flag had ended," I said, annoyed at my girlfriend. Or ex-girlfriend? I really need to figure it out.

"Seriously?" Grover was incredulous. "Is she alright?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm going to see her," I explained, patiently.

"Oh, right," he said, embarrassed. "So, what's she like?"

I began to describe her to him, starting with her physical appearance. I had begun to tell Grover about her ability to shape-shift when we had reached the building and I opened the door to go in, only to stop the moment I entered the room. In the middle of the room stood Lillian, and barely a second after our entrance, I noticed her hands ball up into tight fists. She looked angry, but more upset, and I wasn't sure if it had to do with Annabeth nearly killing her or something totally different. Either way, I wasn't going to take my chances with someone who could become an angry bear.

I spoke quietly and gently, "Lillian, are you okay?" Her expression didn't exchange, so I spoke again: "What's wrong?" Now, I got a reaction. Her face morphed to one of confusion and she looked down, relaxing her hands.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. She sounded uneasy, but I couldn't figure out why. "I need to talk to Chiron, so if you would please excuse me," she waited expectantly for us to move.

I ignored her obvious desire to leave the room and decided to pry. "Chiron? Why would you need to see Chiron?" I asked. What was up with Lillian? Why in Zeus' name would she be acting this way?

"None of your business!" she snapped at us. I could definitely see her tacking on a rude _boy_ at the end of her sentence if she was a huntress. I was shocked. This was not the Lillian I had come to know these past few days. I guess she realized she was being awful short with us, so she explained, "I had a dream and was instructed to lead a quest."

Grover decided to speak up. "For what?" Lillian looked impatient and ready to just leave without answering.

"To save the Wild. It's my duty," she pointed out. Grover looked slightly miffed, as though she was insulting his ability to restore nature.

To avoid a fight, I quickly asked, "Are you sure you're well enough?"

Lillian looked slightly flustered and answered, "Yes, now excuse me, I need to find Chiron." She pushed past us and paused outside, looking around for Chiron.

"I think he is in the Big House," I suggested.

"Thanks," she said, already gone.

Grover and I glanced at each other before going after her. Chiron was leading Lillian to Rachel, and by the time we got to the cave, Chiron was waiting outside the entrance. We didn't have to wait long before she walked out, pale and slightly dazed.

* * *

><p>Lillian POV<p>

True to her word, the red-headed Oracle collapsed as soon as she finished delivering the prophecy. Lillian, still slightly in shock from the green smoke and all, barely was able to catch the girl before she hit the ground. I couldn't possibly pick her up and carry her over to her bed, so I gently lowered her to the ground and grabbed a pillow to put under her head. That done, I walked out trying to figure out where in the world that nature was the strongest. I realized that Chiron, Percy, and the other boy were waiting, staring at me expectantly.

"Well, my dear? What is the prophecy?" Chiron asked.

"Huh?" I smartly answered, still trying to figure out how I was supposed to narrow down the location of Physis. I knew prophecies were supposed to be cryptic, but really? This one left me with absolutely no idea of where to begin searching.

"The prophecy, Lillian. What did Rachel tell you?" Percy interjected.

"Rachel? The red-head?" I asked.

"Yes, what did she say?" the other boy chimed in.

"She told me that me and two others need to find Physis where the essence of nature was the greatest and there would be some obstacles, and whatnot," I answered, purposely leaving out the part about a pyrrhic victory. That line promised death, and I feared that it would be impossible to find two others willing to go on a suicide mission.

"That's it?" Chiron asked, seeming to be confused by the vagueness of it.

"Yeah, but who would be willing to go with me? I don't know many people who seem to be willing to go on a quest. I really only know four people and one hates me," I thought of Annabeth and her failed assassination attempt.

"I'll go," Percy volunteered.

"Me, too," the other boy said. Why in the world would he want to go? We don't even know each other.

"Sorry, but who are you?" I asked, trying to not sound rude. "Why do you want to go on a quest with someone you don't know?"

"My name is Grover Underwood. As for why I want to go, it is because one, I feel like I owe you for allowing Pan to fade," I winced, "and two, as the new Lord of the Wild," here I winced again, starting to dislike him. He continued, "I need to do what I can to restore it."

"You're the new Lord of the Wild?" I was incredulous. This boy – well, I suppose he was a satyr since Pan had given some of his domain to him – was trying to handle the difficult task of repairing Earth?

"Yes," he said.

"You. Lord. Of the Wild."

"Yes, that's what I said," he was getting upset over his authority being questioned.

"No. You're not coming," I decided. I did not want this…this…this _reminder_ of my father's absence and replacement following me until the quest was done.

"What? Why?" he cried. "I need to go! It's my duty, just as much as yours, if not more!"

Oh no he didn't. He did _not_ go there. I narrowed my eyes. "Wanna bet?" Lucky for him, he had the decency to look unsure. I pounced on it. "That's what I thought." I walked by him, head held high and not looking back.

Later that night, after dinner, I sat out on the beach, drawing in the sand. I heard someone walk towards me and sit down at my side. I looked. It was Percy.

"Lillian," he started, voice soft and pleading. "Please let Grover come with us. We will need him more than you realize."

"Give me an example," I retorted.

"He can talk to animals for help," Percy said.

"I can, too," was my response.

"He can make paths with his reed pipes, so we aren't walking through the woods and tripping over roots, and all," Percy tried.

"I can, too," I said. "Face it, we don't need him."

"He can sense which direction that nature is strongest," was Percy's last attempt. Well, Styx. I _can't_ do that.

"Fine," I huffed. "Tell him he can come. We're leaving at first light tomorrow. If he so much questions me, I kicking him out and leaving him."

Percy smiled. "Great, thanks, Lillian! He won't let you down!" he promised.

"Better not," I muttered.


	10. Chapter 9: I Feel Physis' Torture

Chapter 9

Lillian POV

I was in the pavilion trying to get in my last guaranteed-to-be-good meal before it was time to leave for the quest. The last bit of cereal had just disappeared when the sun hit the eight o'clock mark. I walked to Thalia's Tree, as everyone seemed to have called it, and saw the boys heading to meet me.

"'Morning, Lillian," Percy greeted.

"'Morning," I echoed, smiling. "Ready to go?"

"Yep," he responded.

"So, Mr. Lord of the Wild," I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. "Which way do your all-powerful senses tell to to go?"

He glared at me before answering, "We need to go west. I contacted a few satyrs last night and found that the largest area of protected wildlife is in Alaska, so we should head there."

Percy paled. "Alaska?"

"Why, what's wrong with Alaska?" I asked, curiously.

"It's beyond the power of the gods, meaning that they'll be of no help to us once we arrive there," he said. That made sense, trapping Physis where she had no power. It was a bit ironic, too, being held captive where your domain is the strongest, but you are the weakest, reduced to the abilities of a mortal.

"Well, for transportation, I will arrange to have some horses take us," I said.

"Real horses or pegasi?" Grover asked.

"Isn't someone all about the technicalities," I said. "I'd rather have pegasi take us, but if you want _real_ horses, I could call for some to take us." Normally, I'm not rude, but seriously, put yourself in my place: imagine having to travel perhaps weeks with someone who thinks that they are good enough to replace your father. In mortal terms, your dad just died from the stress of his job, and there's this little goody two-shoes who thinks that he can do just as well, and maybe better, than your dad. Wouldn't you want to put him in his place and just point out that he's not nearly experienced enough to do as well as someone who had been around for a few _millennia _excelling at his job?

"I'm good with either. I think it's a good idea to choose pegasi, since they will probably be faster," Percy said, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Thank you, Percy," I said. "I'll call them right now."

"Oh, don't worry about getting me a pegasus. I already have one: Blackjack," he said.

"Great!" I said. Now, which pegasus should I call for Grover…

Ten minutes later, we were in the air, flying away from camp. I was on Celestine, a beautiful, dappled gray; Percy was aboard Blackjack, a magnificent, pure-black horse; and Grover rode Porkchop, a cream-colored, dirty-mouthed pegasus. I was just glad that Grover could understand him as well; otherwise, there would have been absolutely no satisfaction in that.

Celestine had been a gift. Pan had known that he wouldn't be around for much longer, so he had created her from a large block of Celestine - one of the minerals in our cave. She couldn't handle being underground and unable to fly, so I took her to the surface and used to play with her, learning how to ride. At the end of the day, though, she couldn't be a pet that lived with me, since she needed the freedom and the fresh air, so I let her go. I had actually forgotten about her until today. She was overjoyed to see me, since she knew that Pan had faded and feared that I had been lost as well.

For the next few hours, Percy and I chatted with our horses, while Grover was silent, sulking on Porkchop, ignoring every word that left the foul-mouthed horse. Eventually, our pegasi needed to rest, so we landed in a field somewhere in Iowa. We had made good progress, about a third of the way there, and we would probably spend the next day flying until we reached Idaho. We set up camp and spent the rest of the day relaxing. I made grass grow for the pegasi and corn for us. I didn't have any seeds for other plants to grow, and the only thing Iowa really has is corn. Luckily, I like corn, and the other two seemed to like it as well. At least, they didn't dislike it. Grover had a bag of aluminum cans, so lucky him, he got some variety in his meal.

That night, I decided to stay up and take the first watch while Percy and Grover slept. Nothing happened the first couple of hours, and I quickly got bored. I shifted into a wolf to heighten my senses in the darkness, and as soon as I did, I could hear slithering. I had heard about the poisonous snakes in Iowan fields, but I hadn't really thought about it until now. I started getting nervous, because snakes are _fast_ and I would never be able to defend myself if one attacked me. The sound of the snakes started getting closer to our campsite, so I bared my teeth and growled. Usually, that would warn away the animals that were near my territory, but the snakes kept approaching. I closed my eyes and felt for the snakes' positions, realizing that they had sped up and were approaching quickly. In fact, they would be here any minute. I opened my eyes and was confronted by a scene that I had most definitely not expected.

In front of me were not snakes. Instead, the three figures were a hybrid of women and snakes. Dracaena. Well, at least they were easier to kill. The human part of them caused them to be slower, so I would be able to take them down with ease. I growled one last warning before shifting into a crouched position ready to attack. As soon as they were close enough, I leapt into the air, eyes trained on their exposed neck, listening to them hiss. I knocked over the first one and snapped her neck. She immediately disappeared, leaving behind golden dust. Since I didn't have any celestial bronze in my hands, I couldn't kill them with a swipe of my claws. Which would actually be extremely helpful…I was going to need to ask the Hephaestus Cabin to make me some as soon as we got back to camp. I turned my attention to the other two dracaena who had divided and were on each side of me, making it impossible to focus on a single one. They began creeping towards me when I thought, screw it, I'm going for the one on the left. Instead, they both lunged forward, I dodged them, and they crashed into each other. I spun and jumped on both, crushing one under my feet and breaking its neck and biting through the other's neck. They disappeared in the same fashion as the first, dust flying everywhere, so it looked like I had golden sparkles in my fur. Honestly? I thought it looked kinda pretty with the metallic dust on my dark fur. Still, I shook out as much as I could and returned to the tent. I woke up Grover so that he could take over the second shift and I could sleep. Of course, my sleep had to be just as exhausting as staying awake and fighting lady-demons.

I arrived on the beautiful island again, so I waited for Physis to speak. Maybe she could help us out with her exact location.

"Hurry, my girl. I'm running out of time. It has been too long since I have been free and I am starting to fade," I heard her say. Running out of time? Fading? Oh gods, it's going to be like Pan all over again and I'm going to fail to save her.

"I'm coming," I cried, desperate for her not to leave me alone in the world the way Pan did. "Please hold on! We'll be there the day after tomorrow!"

"You might be too late," she said. "It's getting harder to stay. Too many have forgotten me. Too long have I been here. Too long."

"Just wait! _Please!_" I begged.

"My strength is fading. I can make no promises," she sighed.

"We've found out that you are in a national park in Alaska. Do you know where in the St. Elias Wilderness you are? Any information you have will be helpful," I rambled, trying to keep her with me.

"I only know that it is cold. So cold, that it saps my strength," she answered. Wow, she was really helpful. At least she wasn't threatening to leave again. I wouldn't be able to bear it if I lost the two chances I had to bring back the Wild.

"We'll be there soon," I said. "Um, stay warm." I added, awkwardly.

"I wish I could get warm," Physis said, wistfully. "Good-bye, my dear. I hope you can bring me the warmth and ability to escape this place." With that, I knew her presence had left and I was alone on the island. The temperature suddenly dropped and I found myself shivering. Snow started falling, fast and thick, and I could barely see anything. The island had disappeared under a blanket of snow and the winds tugged at the trees. I shifted into a bear for warmth, but the new form did nothing to keep my body temperature up, so I changed back. I was shivering and my lips were blue. I collapsed into a ball, curling up and trying to retain some warmth, but my senses were quickly being numbed. I knew I was dying, and my only hope of survival would be to become an animal with an immense amount of insulation and ability to adapt to the cold. I tried to become a penguin, but I was so tired and weak, it felt impossible to do anything. Is this what Physis was feeling? Did she want me to understand how she was feeling to motivate me to save her faster? If that was what her intention was, it was certainly working. The only issue would be my ability to awaken since I felt ready to die and was unable to wake up.

After what seemed to be hours of my suffering, I could feel myself being shaken, yet I still couldn't open my eyes. It wasn't until I felt someone slap my face did I find the strength to open my eyes. It took forever, since it felt like they were glued shut and covered with weights to prevent them from seeing daylight again. I blinked to refocus my vision and I saw a mess of black hair and intense green eyes staring into mine.

"Thank the gods," Percy breathed. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes," I managed to force out from my mouth. "I-I'm f-f-fine." My teeth were chattering and I still felt cold, despite the sunlight covering my body. I pushed myself up into a sitting position.

"I thought you were dead! Your body temperature was so low, I can't believe you were still alive," he explained. "Here, wrap this blanket around you." He had reached into his tent and pulled out his blanket.

"Thanks," I said, accepting the blanket gratefully. "I'm freezing."

"What happened?" his eyes portraying his curiosity and confusement.

"I was visited by Physis again," I said. "And she wanted me to know what her prison felt like."

"Then let's get moving," Percy said. He called for Celestine, picked me up, and placed me on her, with the blanket still wrapped around me. Percy and Grover packed up the tents and put them in the satchels hanging from the sides of the pegasi. They hopped on their horses and we rode off to Alaska.


	11. Chapter 10: We Arrive in Alaska

Chapter 10

Lillian POV

I finally stopped shivering around the time we were nearing Montana. The cold winds we were flying through weren't helping me get warm. I was pushing the pegasi to their limits with renewed determination to get to Alaska as soon as possible. Physis' torture was awful, nothing could survive in such awful conditions, I had barely lasted a couple of hours and Physis had been condemned to that suffering for some millennia. I couldn't believe that she had been able to survive this long without fading.

The horses were exhausted and we had stopped in Washington for a quick break. To renew their energy as much as possible, I bought each pegasus a dozen of chocolate glazed donuts. There were also many apple trees, so I was able to hasten the growth and maturation of the apples for us and the pegasi for later.

After two hours of rest, we were back in the air and ready to finish the journey to the St. Elias Wilderness in Alaska. Porkchop was so cranky and tired that Grover eventually asked to trade pegasi, tired of hearing the explicit words coming from his ride. Unsurprisingly, Percy and I refused. I was not giving up Celestine for anyone, and Percy felt the same way about Blackjack. As an effort to block out the satyr and his pegasus' complaints, Percy and I exchanged stories about how we got our pegasi. I learned that Blackjack had been a prisoner on the Titan Kronos' ship and Percy had created a distraction during the following battle, allowing Blackjack to escape to freedom. Ever since, Blackjack had become Percy's eternally faithful pegasus. Blackjack felt the need to add in the fact that he liked Percy because Percy gave him sugar cubes and donuts, and we all laughed.

After we crossed the borders between Canada and the USA, entering Alaska, I could feel the shift in powers. It seemed, almost, empty. As though it were nothing more than a barren wilderness, even though hundreds of thousands of mortals lived here. I could see the snowy peaks and evergreens covering the landscape. The national park was very close to the border between Canada and Alaska, so it didn't take long to arrive. My senses sharpened, and I could feel all the animals, from the wolverines to the bears. The spirit of all the pure, untouched wilderness stunned me. One look at Grover, and I could tell that he felt it, too. I had the foolish desire to pick up the wilderness and bring it to America, where I wouldn't be feeling the absence of the gods. It would be perfect. _But it's only this way because it isn't in the continental USA where most of the Americans are. If it was in the USA, then the mortals would have already torn down the forest for developments_, the small voice in the back of my head reminded.

The pegasi landed in the center of the wilderness, hidden by trees. As soon as my foot touched the earth, strength surged through me, and I felt completely at home in my element, regardless of whether the gods were here or not. Without meaning to, I shifted into a wolf and started running, pleasure coursing through my veins. I raised my head to the sky and let out a celebratory howl at finding such a beautiful place. Other wolves responded with howls of understanding and pure happiness. Then, I remembered that I was on a quest and that I had impulsively left Percy and Grover, so with one last howl of glee, turned and began running back to my quest mates. However, halfway there, I was hit by an even stronger sense of wilderness that stopped me in my tracks, causing me to skid and tumble.

I turned to investigate it when a few wolves sprang from some bushes, snarling and growling, clearly unhappy with my intruding presence.

"Get out! This is our territory! Ours!" the alpha commanded. He tried to stare me down, but since I was the daughter of the Lord of the Wild, I had more dominance than he and while I was able to hold the stare, he was forced to submit to my power. I must have radiated so much more power than he that he was unable to even challenge me for the territory and fight for the position of alpha.

"This is _mine_, now. Understand?" I gave the pack my best wolf glare and immediately, they all knelt submissively, acknowledging me as their new alpha. "Good," I said, satisfied with my new pack. I had never had one before, and it was as though a huge boost of power had just been granted to me. I felt stronger than ever, but more responsible, too, with the need to protect my new family.

I continued my jog back to Percy and Grover after commanding them to follow me. When we were nearing the clearing, I could tell that Grover had felt our presence. He was sniffing the air with a worried expression, explaining to Percy that he smelled wolves, and while my scent was there, he wasn't sure if it was just a trace. Grover could tell that there were multiple ones and that he wasn't familiar with any. His eyes were dilated with fear, knowing we had arrived and could win a battle if we chose to ambush them. I told my pack to wait behind me for a couple of paces before following me out into the clearing.

I walked up to Percy and Grover, who relaxed as soon as they recognized me. I shifted back into a human and explained that the wolves behind me were a part of my pack, earning shocked expressions from both boys.

"We've been here for maybe half an hour and you are already the alpha of a pack?" Grover asked incredulous.

"Yes, and even better, I think I have an idea of where Physis is located," I said proudly. I turned and addressed the pegasi who had been extremely helpful. "Celestine, you are free to leave whenever you feel ready. Blackjack and Porkchop, you two can head back to camp whenever you are strong enough. Thank you all for being so willing to aid us and fly us all the way out here. We are very grateful." Percy and I each walked to our pegasi to give them personal good byes. I whispered to Celestine a blessing to keep her safe and I hugged her farewell.

Once Percy was done, I told the boys to follow us and we would lead them to where I had felt that strong sense of nature. I phased and led my pack at a jog back to where I had met them. Only to realize that the feeling was now gone and I could not find it again.

I questioned my new beta about it, "Where did it go?"

"It is constantly moving," he said. "We try to follow it. It gives us strength."

"Do you know where it is now?" I asked, impatient. "Does it follow a pattern?"

"Yes. I know and it does follow a pattern. We have memorized its movement," he answered.

"Great, show us where it is," I was so glad that the _feeling_, I had no idea what else to call it, could be traced and was predictable.

Beta, knowing his place, chose to stay behind me and instead tell me when to turn and which direction to head towards. Thankfully, Grover could understand what we were saying and was translating our conversation to an extremely confused Percy.

After about thirty minutes, we had arrived at its current location. I praised Beta and told them to keep following the feeling, then beckoned Percy and Grover to come forward and investigate the feeling with me. As I got closer, I suddenly realized that the feeling was coming from _below _me. I stood over the area I felt it to be the largest and began digging, furiously. Less than five minutes later, the feeling suddenly disappeared. Seriously?

I ordered the group following me to gather the rest of the wolves in the pack, and then start digging at each place where the feeling was known to be located. Hopefully, at one point, the wolves would dig deeply enough to reveal the way to Physis...if the feeling was even Physis.


	12. Chapter 11: I Finally See Physis

Chapter 11

Lillian POV

As soon as my pack had left, I persuaded the earth to give up some iron and the trees to lose a couple of branches, so that I could fashion some shovels for Percy and Grover. If they thought I was going to be the only one digging, they were sorely mistaken. We had been digging now for about two hours and the hole we had made was about five feet deep. Unwilling to damage the earth any more than digging, I had encouraged the roots to retract and grow around the hole so that we wouldn't need to cut through them.

Our digging was interrupted by the appearance of panes, nature spirits similar to satyrs, but much more, well, _primal_. Panes were named after Pan, basically as the plural form of him, as they were his first descendants. Their features were much closer to that of goats than humans, whereas satyrs were pretty much half-human and half-goat. They were much more hostile and territorial and the worst part? They only cared about the well-being of _their _territories. To them, it didn't matter if the rest of the world's forests and natural areas fell to factories and construction, as long as their homes were undisturbed.

But once you invaded their homes, well, it wasn't pretty. It made much more sense as to why St. Elias' nature was so well preserved, so I had to give them their due credit. The few humans who came through here wouldn't dare drop a single candy wrapper for fear of being chewed out by a pane. The Mist probably showed the panes as hard-core park rangers with an abnormal obsession for nature. I shifted to a human.

"What do you think you're doing?" the first pane yelled. "This a national park, and you are defacing it! That is illegal!" He got in my face, spit flying. Ew. Gross, just absolutely gross. I wiped it away.

Percy came up and shoved the pane away from me, standing in front of me as a protective barrier. "Get out of her face, satyr," he warned. Uh-oh. Panes hated to be confused with satyrs, but hey, there were so many more satyrs than panes that they should expect it.

"Satyr? _Satyr?" _he bleated irritated. "Do I _look_ like a puny _satyr_?" I glanced at Percy's face and tried, unsuccessfully, I might add, to not burst out laughing. After all, panes did look remarkably similar to satyrs. Percy opened his mouth, probably to reply yes, but I jumped in before we could get into any more trouble with the panes.

"Of course not! You are obviously panes," I tried to make up for Percy's mistake. Said person looked positively confused, mouthing _Pane?_ To get in their good books - and as an explanation to Percy - I added, "You're species is named after my father, Pan."

Now, the panes just looked even more upset. "What's this? Daughter of the Wild is destroying it?"

"No, no, no. You simply don't understand!" I tried to mollify them. It was too late. They pulled out their clubs and raced towards us, wanting our immediate execution.

Percy seemed pretty shocked and turned to Grover, who had been equally confused. Eyes twinkling with mirth, Percy asked, "You think that maybe Coach Hedge is actually a pane and not a satyr?" Grover just rolled his eyes.

"We're about to die, and all you can think about is which species Hedge belongs to?" Grover scolded lightly, as though he had come to accept Percy's oddities.

Meanwhile, I was trying to stop the panes, tripping them with roots and getting their feet stuck in the ground. I didn't want to hurt any of them, much less kill them, but I couldn't let them interfere with our mission. Just thinking about Physis' torture made me shiver. Eventually, I got them all tied up and immobile, each staring at me with pure hate in their eyes.

"Look," I began. "We're trying to restore the Wild, not destroy it. Right now, there is a force of nature that is being held captive in St. Elias, or rather, under it, and we need to dig to free the force. Once we free it, I will make sure the holes are filled in and the national park won't even hold a trace of our stay. I swear on the Styx."

Grudgingly, the panes agreed to let us continue our work and I released them from their bonds. "Beware Laelaps," they warned before disappearing into the brush.

"Styx!" I shouted. My form flickered between a human and a bear, as it always did when I got upset. Eventually, I pushed the frustration down and was able to retain shape as a human. "Of course this is where Laelaps decided to live," I grumbled.

"Uh, who's Laelaps?" Grover asked.

"A dog bred by Zeus to always catch her prey," I answered. "She's supposed to have been caught and turned into stars, but she must have been freed. My guess is that she's guarding Physis and anyone who tries to find Physis is hunted down by Laelaps. This is going to be impossible!"

"No, it's not. If Laelaps is the one guarding, then if she only sees one person trying to free Physis, then she'll only go after that one person, right?" Percy reasoned. I nodded, doubtfully. "So how about when that feeling of yours returns, we place one of us near the hole, so that Laelaps only hunts that person?"

"That sounds good and all, but who are we going to put there? I don't want to sacrifice anyone," I argued.

Just then, I heard my beta telling me telepathically - wait, that's possible? - that feeling would arrive at my location in about five minutes. I freaked.

"What are we going to do? What if the hole isn't deep enough? What if the feeling isn't even Physis?! We only have five minutes, and I don't want to have to wait another two and something hours for it to come back! Styx, styx, styx!" I yelled, frustrated.

"I'll do it," Grover said.

"Do what?" I said, confused.

"I'll be the one that is hunted by Laelaps," he explicated.

"What? No!" Even if he was nosy, an extreme annoyance, and had a million other attributes that I couldn't stand to be around, he was the Lord of the Wild. He didn't have any heirs and it was certain that he would die. "Most definitely not!"

Grover gave me a crooked smile. "Lillian," he began, but I cut him off.

"You can't be the one that Laelaps chases. She never loses a hunt and her prey always ends up dead. You haven't even got an heir to take over!"

As I said those last words, I felt a tug in my stomach, announcing the arrival of, what I hoped was, Physis. Grover felt it, too, and as a light began to shine through the hole we had made, he pushed Percy and I out of the way, making sure that he was the only thing that could be seen - and hunted.

There was a dull _thud_ before I heard growling and I saw a huge, russet red dog leap out from the hole. Grover stumbled back a few paces before running. At the pace Grover was going, there was no way that he could distract Laelaps for long. I called for my beta to grab Grover, run, and hide somewhere safe. Within seconds, I saw Grover thrown onto the back of Beta and they disappeared.

"Let's go," Percy said, grimly. He had realized Grover had an almost nonexistent chance of surviving.

We jumped in the hole and were confronted by three grey doors. Looking closely, I realized that each was made of a different metal. The leftmost door was made of pure silver, the second of tungsten, and the third of zinc. _This was a test_.

Physis couldn't be hidden behind the zinc door, it was too soft and the Primordial would have been able to escape. Tungsten was the strongest of the three, so I walked towards the middle door and I was about to push it when Percy grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Wait," he said. I gave him a questioning look and he explained, "I think this is supposed to be a test. We need to choose carefully. You know, because the other two doors probably lead to...to Tartarus."

I chose to ignore the break in his voice when he said Tartarus and said, "Yeah, I know." He looked surprised, so I threw in, "And I think that the middle one is the one that we need to go through."

"Mind explaining?" he asked.

"Well, the middle one is made of tungsten, which is stronger than the other two, silver and zinc, so it would be hardest to escape from," I said.

"How can you tell?"

"Pan taught me all my elements when I was ten. We went through every single element and I learned about the properties of each until I became an expert," I explained. "But I need to feel the doors to see which is coldest, just to make sure." He nodded, so I went ahead, and just as I had thought, tungsten was coldest. However, I hadn't expected it to be so cold. My hand almost got stuck, had I not pulled away so quickly.

"It's this one, I'm sure," I said. I took the handle and pushed the door open as quickly as I could. My hand froze to the door anyway, and I had to get Percy's help in pulling it off. It _hurt_. It took about three minutes, and all the while, my hand was being suctioned by the cold. When we finally got it free, my hand was missing a layer of skin, bloody, and in a world of pain. Swearing, I bent down and grabbed some snow to slather on my hand and heal it. Percy nudged me, but I ignored him, cradling my hand and inspecting my palm.

"Hey, Lillian," he whispered, nudging me again.

"What?" I snapped, tearing my eyes away from my hand to glare at him and his beautiful, bright green eyes that popped out against his gorgeous, dark hair. "Curse his good looks," I muttered, looking away embarrassed about staring at him.

He hadn't noticed and was instead staring straight ahead. I followed his gaze, starting to shiver from the cold, my eyes landing on a woman hanging against the wall by her hands, which were in shackles strung up, high over her head. The most shocking part was that she looked almost exactly like me - enough that she could have been my mother. Her head hung down, dark brown hair covering her face. When she lifted her head to look up, I wasn't surprised to see that she had forest green eyes. The difference was that hers were tired, full of pain and exhaustion.

We rushed forward and Percy cut off her shackles with Riptide and I caught her when she fell. Physis stared into my eyes and whispered, "You came." Then, her eyes shut and her head lolled to the side.


	13. Chapter 12: Trapped

Chapter 12:

Lillian POV

I won't lie. I panicked. "Percy!" I yelled.

"Shh, Lillian. I'm right here. You don't need to yell," his voice appeared over my shoulder.

"Physis, she just...Physis just...," I stumbled over my words, unable to force out what I actually wanted to say. To be honest, I was worried that she died. Yeah, yeah, I know. When gods or goddesses die, their bodies disappear and their essences return to the void. But, I wasn't thinking properly. All I could think was: "Oh my gods, we finally found her. Oh my gods! Her eyes closed! She's dead!"

"Hey, Lillian! You listening?" Percy waved his hand in front of my face.

"What?" I blinked and realized that I had spaced out. "Oh, right! Sorry."

"S'cool. I was just saying that we should probably get her out of this snowstorm. I'll carry her," he said. Gratefully, I handed her over to him. I definitely would not be able to carry her out. He, on the other hand, was handling her with ease.

I walked behind Percy and Physis, anxious to get out of here.

However, once Percy walked through the door, leaving the prison, the door slammed shut. The back of the door blended in with the rest of the interior of the prison, and no matter how hard I stared, I couldn't find the door. Frantic, I reached my hands out and tried to feel for the door, the wall, or anything that wasn't this open, cold, barren landscape.

The temperature plummeted. The snow got heavier and the wind whipped my hair across my face, grabbing strands and pulling them. I started to freak out. This was too close to my dream. Being alone was probably the biggest problem. If there was someone else with me, I would find the motivation to make it through, but being alone meant that I would have to find a way to keep going on my own. But Percy knew I was in here. He would come back for me. I kept walking, feeling around for the exit. I worked to get the water molecules to move faster, to raise the temperature, and to melt the snow. But the harder I tried, the colder I got. I reached inside myself for warmth to expel into the atmosphere and to end the snowstorm, but the weather quickly snatched away every single bit that I had found.

_If Physis - a_ primordial _goddess -__ couldn't find the strength to get out of here, how can I? _My hope of escape plummeted at this thought. I fell to my knees as despair washed over me and spread through my veins. I was so cold. So, so, so cold. And tired. My eyelids were growing heavy and I wanted nothing more the give in and fall asleep.

It had been about two hours and Percy had not returned to save me.

_What's the point of fighting to keep going?_ A voice asked me. _You are alone. _ I agreed. I was alone. _Who will notice if you are gone? _Who would notice? Percy must have noticed and simply chosen to keep going. Grover must certainly be gone. It would not have taken long for Laelaps to catch him, especially at the rate that he was running. At least one of my wolves was able to help prolong his death.

Then it clicked. _My _wolves. They would miss me. I was their pack leader. Their alpha. They needed me, especially since they were so much weaker than me.

This newfound determination fueled me. I closed my eyes and expanded my senses. I could tell that I was standing in the middle of a room with four walls. It actually wasn't all that large. Then, there! The door was directly in front of me. I just needed to walk forward about six feet. I opened my eyes and walked forward, feeling around for a door. After ten steps, I was confused. I must have walked more than six feet. Where was the door? I closed my eyes again, ignoring the numbness that was creeping deeper and deeper into my body. The door was still about six feet in front of me. What the Hades? I opened my eyes and started walking. After five steps, which would also have been able to take me to the door, I stopped. I must be walking in place or something, what with the heavy blowing of the wind, pushing me back.

Wait a second. Where was the wind coming from? This was a closed room. Then it dawned on me. I must be in a simulation, my brain telling me that my legs are carrying me forward when in all actuality, I'm not moving at all.

For the third time, I closed my eyes and stretched out my senses. I was in the exact same place as I had been the two previous times I checked my position. This time, I kept my eyes closed and forced my body forward. I could feel myself approaching the wall this time! Overcome by joy, my bearing on my location was lost and I walked right into the door.

"Styx!" I shouted, rubbing my nose. I was mad and, eyes open, I kicked where the door was supposed to be. Expecting to hit a hard surface, my leg was moving at full speed...and kicked through nothing. I slipped and fell on my butt. Growling, I worked to reign in my anger and closed my eyes, trying to concentrate. I felt around carefully and finally located the doorknob. I turned it and pulled. I ran through the doorway and was assaulted by a wave of heat mixed with heavy humidity. I stumbled and fell to the, thankfully dry (and not snow-covered) ground.

* * *

><p>Percy POV<p>

For the past three hours, I had been trying to open the door to Physis' prison. It was awful, holding the freezing cold handle, pulling, and trying not to get my skin stuck permanently on it. I had taken off my shirt after the first five minutes and wrapped it around the handle for protection. Since then, I had been yanking on the handle and yelling curses at it. Now, I was exhausted and decided to take a five minute break. Just as I sat down, the door opened and Lillian flew through.

"Lillian!" I cried in relief. I looked down at her, concern etched into my features. I held out my hand to help her up.

"What? Worried about me?" she snapped. She got up, ignoring my outstretched hand and walked past me, looking up and out of the hole that we had dug.

"Well, actually, yeah," I said, slightly defensively. I confused as to why she was upset with me.

"Lot of good that did me," I heard her mutter. She was looking away from me and encouraging the roots to grow fast and thick across the border of the hole at certain intervals so that they could be used as a ladder to get out of here. I came up behind me, Physis lying on the floor behind me.

"Do you want me to climb up first and then pull Physis out?" I asked, trying to be helpful.

"Uh-uh," she shook her head no. "I'm not getting stuck behind, again. I go up, you lift her to me, and then you come up." Understanding dawned on me.

"Lillian, I tried to get back in. Honest. You don't know how hard. As soon as the door closed and I realized you weren't behind me, I put Physis down and I tried to get back to you. I had been trying for the past three hours to pull open the door," I promised, trying to reassure her that I would never sit by and do nothing when I knew she was in danger.

"Percy," she sighed. "To open the door, you needed to _push_ the door, not pull it." I turned scarlet. How was I so stupid?

"Oh, I didn't realize," I said, sheepishly. "I'm so sorry."

"You said you were trying for the three hours I was in there?" she reiterated.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "I was so worried about you. I thought I was going to lose you." Worried was an understatement. I was frantic, trying to figure out how to open the door. Our friendship had grown these past three days, and I realized I had begun to develop feelings for her. But, what would I do about Annabeth? I loved her, right? My feelings were probably just a crush that would disappear after the quest. Maybe I simply admired her strength and perseverance and I was just mistaking feelings of respect. Maybe I pitied her for Pan's death and wanted to make sure she would be okay. Or perhaps I just admired the way her hair glowed in the sunset and flowed behind her like a waterfall when she was flying on her pegasus, and the way her eyes sparkled when she laughed. Wait. Stop it. Stop thinking like that. You have Annabeth. Granted, she's upset with you right now, but you've always gotten over your arguments. You have Annabeth.

**AN: Sorry for not updating in a couple of days. Thanks for staying with me! Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13: My Way or the Highway

Chapter 13

Lillian POV

Let me just say this: oh my gods, Physis is heavy! It took a good five minutes of Percy pushing and me pulling before we finally realized it wasn't going to work. In the end, Percy draped her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and climbed up. It was pretty funny to watch him, swaying each time he reached for another root, almost falling.

By the time he reached the surface, my pack had gathered, excluding my beta. I asked if he and Grover were still alive, and was surprised to find myself relieved when informed that Laelaps had yet to find them. I called for our pegasi to come and to bring another pegasus with them to carry Physis.

_Of course, My Lady_, I heard Celestine respond and then Blackjack and Porkchop echoed. I smiled to hear the first pleasant words that exited Porkchop's mouth.

I turned back to see Percy laying Physis out on the ground, so I went over and poured all the nectar we has into the goddess' mouth. Fortunately, we didn't have to worry about giving her too high of a dose and her spontaneously combusting. Her color returned and her body temperature rose, but she still didn't wake up. I checked her pulse and breathing and found it to be normal, and as far as I could see, she didn't have any physical injuries. I was a bit concerned, since her health was at its prime, but dismissed her sleep to simply be exhaustion from being in her prison for so long.

With our pegasi on the way, I decided that I needed to ask my wolves where Grover was hidden. It wouldn't matter if Laelaps heard, if she could even understand the language of wolf, because we would be going immediately to get Grover once the pegasi arrived.

My wolves had been extremely clever. First, because Grover was riding a wolf, rather than running on foot - or hooves - his scent would be weaker. Yes, it would still be there, but harder to track. Second, in order to get to the hiding spot, Grover and my beta had to go through a stream and then swim underwater to enter a cave, which was part of one of the mountains. The scent would be lost completely after entering the water, making it nearly impossible to find them. Since Laelaps had spent a few millennia guarding Physis' prison, Laelaps wouldn't know her surroundings well, even if he had surveyed the land before she became the guard, due to the ever changing topography of Earth.

The pegasi arrived and I was pleased to find that the fourth pegasus had been another one created by my father. This one was Zircon, also named after an gemstone of the earth, and he was a grey pegasus, mottled with amber spots. Also, he was a perfect size to carry Physis. We sat her onto Zircon and adjusted her so that she wouldn't slide off.

My wolves led Percy, the pegasi, and me to the cave. Unfortunately, the pegasi couldn't follow us into the water, because even though they could breathe underwater, their wings would become saturated with water and they wouldn't be able to fly. Percy volunteered to take one of the wolves to show him to the cave, since Percy could create an air bubble to protect the wolf. I was uneasy about staying behind, but I couldn't breathe underwater and I would just end up a hindrance.

I watched Percy and a wolf volunteer disappear into a deep lake bordered by snow-capped mountains. If I hadn't been so anxious to leave and bring Physis back to the continental USA, I'm sure I would have been able to enjoy the view. Instead, my ADHD took over and I was pacing the border of the lake in wolf form, muttering worriedly to my pack when Percy, Grover, and two wolves emerged from the water.

While I relinquished my role as alpha of the pack back to my beta, Grover and Percy mounted their pegasi. Just as I finished saying my farewells, Laelaps burst out from the edge of the woods into the clearing, charging straight towards Grover and Porkchop.

The adrenaline took over and I shouted _Go!_ in the pegasi's minds. Startled, they took off. But Zircon leapt at too steep of an angle and Physis tumbled off thirty feet in the air, despite the care we put into positioning her properly.

Grover and I both felt the wrenching tugs in our stomachs to save her, despite what the consequences to our persons may be and we immediately turned our pegasi and dove to catch her. However, she was falling too quickly and it looked like neither of us would be able to reach her in time. Just as we neared her, narrowly avoiding crashing into the ground - and each other, disaster struck.

Laelaps lunged for Grover and he was pulled off Porkchop by the scruff of his orange Camp Half-Blood shirt. She began dragging him, and Porkchop, overwhelmed by fear, chose flight, rather than fight and save Grover. Porkchop's figure disappeared in the blink of an eye into the light blue of the morning sky.

At the same time, Physis and I were circling each other, preparing for a fight. I know, right? _Physis?_ Really? I'm telling the truth, we were about to be in a battle of powers. As far as I could figure, she had been conscious ever since we had given her the nectar, making me pretty annoyed. As soon as she had reached the ground, Physis gave up the pretense of being unconscious, rolling to avoid injury. I had been shocked. I had landed Celestine and dismounted her to approach Physis.

"Lillian dear, I wanted to thank you for freeing me when no other demigod could," she had congratulated me warmly.

I was in shock from discovering that she was awake. "You're awake?"

"Yes. And now that I'm free, we can work together to restore the Wild," Physis had answered, smiling with excitement.

My brain had rebooted and started functioning again. I had responded with equal excitement. "Yes, My Lady! I'm so excited to start! How should we begin?" I had gushed.

"With the pesky mortals," her smile had begun to seem less warm, but I had to agree that if not for the mortals, nature wouldn't be in such a crisis.

"What do you mean?" I had asked warily. Did she mean that we needed to campaign and create more public service announcements to be featured in commercials? Anything else involving mortals would be their deaths, but Physis wouldn't consider that. Would she?

"Well, we need to eliminate the threat, right dear?" she had asked. I simply nodded, not liking her use of "eliminate." She continued, confirming my fear, "Then we need to get rid of them."

I had protested immediately. "We can't do that."

"Well, I see no other option." Her eyes had narrowed. "If we can't work together, then you will be in my way, and my way is the best and only way. Thank you for freeing me, but I must apologize now. I can't let you stop me, so I must get rid of you."

"Good luck," I said. And now, here we were, circling each other, waiting for the other to make the first move.

With a barely perceptible flick of her wrists, sharp metals rose from the ground and flew straight towards my heart.

**AN: Hey everyone! I broke my finger, so now it's going to take a little longer (three days MAX.) between each update, since it takes so much longer when typing with only one hand. Sorry! Thanks for staying with me! Please review!**


	15. Chapter 14: Victory?

Chapter 14

Lillian POV

I lifted my hands up just in time, using the water in the air to stop the metals, freeze them, and send them back to Physis.

Before I knew it, I was being assaulted from every direction - and I mean, _every_ direction. From my left, sand had risen and was hurtling towards me. I could see pinecones and acorns falling from above. Water swirled around me, and for once, it wasn't because I had willed it to. Branches were ripped from the trees and thrown at me, and it took everything in me to just slow the projectiles down. I had never concentrated on multiple elements at once, and my energy was quickly being drained. I considered calling my wolves for aid before I remembered: they weren't my pack anymore. The lack of authority over the wolves weakened me and I wished more than ever that I had not let them go.

All of a sudden, the water parted in front of me, and Physis lunged in. Aw, Styx. Seriously? Now we have to do hand-to-hand combat _with_ maintaining power over the elements? I shifted into wolf form and boy, was I glad I hadn't cut my nails in a while. Now, they were long, sharp, anddeadly. I backed up and then tensed. I could tell that Physis was hoping that the spinning water would distract me, what with my ADHD, but in reality, it just blurred into the background and I had tunnel vision trained on her. I put most of my concentration on urging the water to spin faster, something I knew she wouldn't expect. The bits of water flying off the funnel that landed on me gave me strength and I prepared to lunge.

She made the first move again, pulling out an ivory knife and leaping to stab me. As she reached her highest point off the ground, I leapt, ducking under the knife. I snapped my head up and bit blindly. I heard something tear and Physis roared in outrage. We landed and she spun around, anger blazing in her eyes. Physis was bleeding golden ichor from her right forearm. She inched closer and thrust her arm out. I dodged it and lowered my head just in time for her to miss when she swung her arm over my head. Physis had relinquished some control over the elements since she was so absorbed in killing me with her hands. I took advantage of that and commanded the metals to rise again and to hit Physis in multiple places. She yelled, and I could see the many spots where she had been punctured. Physis was furious. She abandoned her knife and decided to just attack with her bare hands. She lunged, and I, assuming she wanted my neck, just moved my head out of the way. I hadn't moved the rest of my body and as soon as I felt her latch onto one of my back legs, I knew I was in trouble. She yanked and I fell down, sprawled and completely defenseless. I twisted, trying to either make her lose her grip, or take advantage of her tugging to pull me towards her. I ended up using the second option. I snarled and used my forelegs to push me the rest of the way. I latched onto her arm in return and bit down. Hard. I felt my teeth tear through her muscle and eventually the breaking of her bones.

Something about her blood, the golden ichor, tasted so good that my primal instincts as a wolf were suddenly enhanced. Suddenly, I wasn't fighting to protect myself. I was fighting to kill her. To get more of that delicious blood. I think that Physis knew what was running through my mind because she stiffened and I could see something akin to fear in her eyes. I didn't hold back and was running at full speed towards the primordial. Somehow, she had her ivory knife in her hands again and she was swiping at me. I didn't duck this time, though. All I could think about was having the taste of golden liquid coating my tongue. I barely registered the pain when the knife dug into my shoulder. I crashed into her and we both fell, tumbling over each other on the ground. I kept snapping at her neck, the pulsing artery the only thing my eyes could see, but she was pushing me away. She grabbed the knife and pulled it out of my shoulder, tearing more muscle as it left my body.

The pain cleared my mind of the bloodlust and I yelped. I phased back into a human and punched Physis. She grabbed my arm and twisted it, now that the danger of my teeth was gone, she had to focus on the other offending limbs of my body. I stupidly fought against it and she smiled, twisting harder. At this rate, my arm was going to pop out of its socket and I was going to have two injured arms. Now, I went with it, allowing her to spin my whole body. She hadn't been prepared for the sudden, extra weight and she released me.

Both of us stood up and decided to recover a bit, panting heavily, and eyeing each other warily. I stretched out my senses and realized that Celestine was hovering overhead about forty feet. Telepathically, I called to her. _Hey Celest! Think you can fly down behind Physis and knock her unconscious with your hooves?_

She nickered. _Absolutely, My Lady._ I felt hope and confidence spark within me. I had found a way to render Physis immobile without killing her. Now, I just needed my girl to be stealthy enough that Physis wouldn't detect her.

I saw Celestine flying down, but she wasn't being very inconspicuous. Of course. I get one perfect idea that would end this quickly and without a problem, and it was about to backfire.

Physis looked up when she noticed Celestine's shadow growing over her. "Silly girl," she sneered. "You think you can take out a primordial goddess with a blatantly obvious plan of a _pegasus?" _ I sighed.

"I had hoped," was my reply. I watched in terror as she smiled and pointed her index finger at Celestine and a ray of gold flew from it towards my horse. "Celestine! Watch OUT!" I cried, hoping to save her from whatever Physis was shooting at her. Her eyes glinted, and at the last possible second, she swerved out of the way. A wave of relief washed over me. And then extreme joy as I watched Blackjack steered by Percy fly behind Physis and send a well-aimed kick down on her head. She crumpled to the sand, a small bit of gold trickling from her temple.

Percy gave a loud whoop, and Blackjack, Celestine, and Zircon responded with a whinny of triumph. I laughed and then I remembered. Grover. I looked around for him, my joy fading as the last line of the prophecy echoed in my mind: _win a victory to be described only as pyrrhic. _Did the Oracle mean that I would lose Grover? That would definitely put a damper on the victory.

But then I saw Porkchop lingering at the edge of the woods, skittish and embarrassed. Grover stood beside the pegasus, whispering encouragingly and the horse's demeanor began to change. Behind them I could see gold dust, and I assumed that it was the remains of Laelaps. Somehow, Grover had managed to defeat her. I was confused. Not that I would want Grover to meet a horrible end by Laelaps, but I couldn't figure out where the pyrrhic victory came in.

Nonetheless, once more, we all boarded our respective pegasus - and tied Physis onto Zircon, and ascended once more into the air. I smiled. We would be heading back to camp. To home.

**AN: This is not the end of the story, just the chapter! :D Thanks for sticking with me! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 15: Peace Never Lasts

Chapter 15

Percy POV

We took our time flying back to camp since Physis was no longer in danger of fading. It took four days, but I cherished each, some of the time talking to Lillian, other times just watching her. She was beautiful, no matter when or what she was doing, both physically and personality-wise. She never wore make up, not that she needed it. She was just...just so...natural.

I couldn't seem to get enough of her. We were constantly together, whether talking or just sitting in a comfortable silence. We talked about everything, from our favorites of colors and sports to pet peeves and childhood stories. I learned about her life living in the Labyrinth and I shared stories of my quests. I told her about the two wars, and in exchange, she informed me about her travels across the country.

I never tired of listening to her, and our journey was peaceful - that is, with the exception of the occasional, rude comment from Porkchop. But, like everything good, it came to an end at dusk of the fourth day.

Lillian and Grover had been discussing the best ways to go about healing the Wild, especially with Physis in mind, so I tuned them out and just watched the land go by beneath us. Finally, as the sun had begun to set, I saw Thalia's Pine pointed towards the heavens in greeting. A smile broke across my face and I shouted with glee, interrupting my quest mates' conversation.

_We're home._

* * *

><p>Lillian POV<p>

"I was thinking, that we need to," Grover began, before Percy cut him off with a shout of delight. Percy turned back to smile at us and I was caught by his eyes. Unlike mine, they had a bit of blue mixed in, forming stunning, solid blue-green - really, it was actually sea green - eyes that made my breath catch. My were a deep, forest green, speckled with brown. I wished Percy loved my eyes the way I loved his. I could stare into his for days...and I had. All throughout this return to camp, I had found myself watching him, loving the contrast between the brightness of his eyes and the black of his hair. I had asked him a couple days ago about the grey streak that ran through his hair, and that was when he had started to tell me of his quests. I was highly impressed, to say the least.

During our talks, I found myself questioning my beliefs concerning my father's death and how it came to be. When Percy had gotten around to his quest in the Labyrinth, I finally left the stage of denial. Without knowing it, I realized that I had hoped Pan wasn't truly gone and would return to me. That maybe, one day, I could travel back to our home and find him lying on his bed and welcoming me.

I had not been a pretty sight that night. We had been sitting side-by-side at our campfire and Percy had gotten around to the part where he and his friends had reached our home, when he trailed off, saying uncomfortably, "And, yeah. You know what happened when we got there." I was assaulted by memories and I burst into tears. Surprisingly, he wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, at least he didn't seem to be. Instead, he just lifted his arm and put it around my shoulders, drawing me into his side, where I sobbed myself to sleep. He had been very sweet, rubbing my shoulder and whispering comforting words during my meltdown.

The next morning, I was extremely embarrassed, but he just came up to me and asked if I was feeling any better. Ashamed, I ducked my head, but he raised my chin, forcing me to look at him in the eye. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about," he murmured. That was when I realized I had fallen completely for the twice Hero of Olympus.

Just thinking about that morning caused heat to flood my face and I hoped no one had noticed. Fortunately, Percy and Grover were focused on the descent and waving to the campers who had noticed us. As we passed over Thalia's Tree, I felt the slight change in the air from crossing the border. A sense of security and warmth flooded through me, and I suddenly felt exhausted. I realized that I had constantly been on alert and only let myself truly rest when I was sleeping. But now, the presence of protection provided by the tree caused me to nearly fall off Celestine.

Once we landed, each of us dismounted, and Grover and I walked over to Zircon to untie Physis and escort her to Chiron, who was most likely at the Big House. I saw Annabitch - whoops, my mistake! I clearly meant to say Annabeth - run to Percy and throw her arms around him. The familiar feeling of jealousy rose in me, stronger than usual, but I decided to push it aside for now and focus on more important matters. Namely, Physis and what to do with her.

I tore my gaze away from the couple and concentrated on helping Grover support Physis (more like, carry and drag her) to where Chiron stood. I felt relief when I saw that he was right in front of the rest of the gawking campers and that Grover and I would not need to take this primordial all the way to the Big House. He took Physis from us and carried her to the infirmary as I explained what happened on the quest and the precautions we would need to take concerning her and her vengeful personality. Chiron listened with a furrowed brow and nodded in sorrowful agreement to tying up one of the Protogenoi with celestial bronze chains for the camp's protection.

Chiron turned back to call for Will Solace's help in caring for the well-being of Physis, and once Will caught up to us, we continued on our way to the infirmary and began setting up Physis' bed and chains.

* * *

><p>Percy POV<p>

I had barely touched the ground when I felt someone come up from behind me and hug me. I immediately recognized the person to be Annabeth, so I automatically turned and hugged her. She tilted her head back, so on auto-pilot, I kissed the blonde-haired, grey-eyed beauty. As I did, I noticed that I didn't feel the warmth or spark that I used to. The thread tying us together was no longer there, and with a jolt, I realized that what I used to feel with Annabeth, I now felt with Lillian. I smiled. My Wild Girl.

Annabeth noticed my smile, but she completely misunderstood it. "Oh, I'm so glad you forgive me! I was so worried when you left that you were mad at me and wouldn't want to be with me anymore!" she gushed with obvious relief.

"Yeah, um, Annabeth?" I asked.

"Hmm?" she responded, burying her head into my chest and wrapping her arms around my torso. I sighed. This was going to be difficult. Not only could I not forget what she did to Lillian, our argument was still there in the back of my mind.

"Annabeth," I repeated, gently removing her arms and pushing her back slightly.

"Yes?" she answered, her expression worried at my serious tone.

"I, well, Hades! How do I put it?" I asked myself frustrated.

"Just spit it out, Percy. If you're going to break up with me, just do it," Annabeth demanded. Her face was hard, and her eyes steely, but her voice had broken on the last word.

"Fine," I said in exasperation. I decided to just throw everything out there. She was already upset, so anything I said wouldn't make it worse. "I don't know if I want to break up with you. I do know that I don't forgive you for trying to kill Lillian, and that if you try anything like that again, I will break up with you. But I don't know where we stand right now."

"I know that what I did was awful, but I promise not to do anything like that again. I don't even know why I did that to her," she said.

"I don't know why, either," I muttered.

Annabeth heard that and tried to defend herself. "I swear, something must've possessed me! I never would have hurt her if I was in my right mind," she attempted to justify.

Seriously? She can't just take responsibility for her actions? She has to put the blame on someone else? I shook my head disbelievingly. I couldn't allow this relationship to continue. Annabeth was watching me carefully and this time, she interpreted my expression correctly.

"Percy, please! Let's just put this behind us," she begged, hopeful.

"No, Annabeth. Yes, you are Wise Girl, and will always be, but not mine. As you so kindly pointed out before I left, I was nothing more than a Seaweed Brain in its worst sense. You don't know how much that hurt," I faltered. Annabeth's head was bowed and she was shaking her head in sorrow. I lifted her chin and was startled to find tears streaking down her face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"I know," I replied, "but I can't be your boyfriend anymore. You don't love me the way you think you do, and I don't love you the way I used to."

"But, I _do_! I do love you!" she pleaded.

"Then why didn't you IM me? You didn't even try to fix our relationship. You never apologized until now," I said sadly. It was killing me to do this, but I had to. I couldn't string her along. It wouldn't be right to her. Or me. Or Lillian. "I'm sorry Annabeth, but we're over."

"No," she said. "It isn't." And with that, she spun on her heel and left me worried. If I wasn't mistaken, she was planning something, and it was not going to fail. Someone was going to get hurt.

**AN: Oooh! What's going to happen now? What's Annabeth plotting? Sorry for not updating yesterday! And, as much as I hate to say, updates are going to be even less frequent with school starting up again. Thanks for reading! Please review!**


	17. Chapter 16: A Rant and a Rope

Chapter 16

Annabeth POV

_How dare he?_ I fumed to myself. We're supposed to be together, _forever_! Aphrodite even said so! Who does he think he is? He wouldn't even be here today, if it wasn't for me! Who got him out of Tartarus? Me. Who always had his back for the past nine years? Oh, that's right: me. Who helped him through the nightmares and stayed by his side through it all? Guess who? Surprise, surprise. It's me. _Again_.

And don't even get me started on _her._ She thinks that she can just show up and take Percy from me with some flirting and a quest? Little Miss Look-at-me-I'm-so-vulnerable so Percy will leave Annabeth for me! By the gods, I don't even want to think about what happened on the quest. Percy is _mine_. I've gone through too much for her to even think that breaking me and Percy up is even an idea to entertain. I may not actually love the dimwit (and spend most of the time fighting with him), but I've definitely earned myself the title of his girlfriend. After all, it's only fitting that Percy and I became a couple. Besides the fact that he's hot and I'm drop-dead-gorgeous, we're the leaders of this camp and we can't lead nearly as well together if we aren't together. Oh, and also that we've been through Hell and back, literally, because we were side-by-side. Pft. And after all that Percy and I have done together, _she_ thinks that it's possible for Percy to leave me for _her_? Ha. Think again, sweetheart.

I smiled as I immediately drew up a few perfect plans to get _her_ out of the picture. Never before had I truly appreciated being a child of Athena's as I did now. _Thank you, Mom_, I thought as I hurried to the infirmary. The daughter of Pan isn't going to know what hit her.

* * *

><p>Lillian POV<p>

I watched Chiron gently and quickly lower Physis to the bed. As much as I hated it, we were going to have to tie the goddess down, and to keep her down, we'd need to use either primordial gold or just a bunch of celestial bronze. Fortunately, the Hephaestus cabin already had some primordial gold molded into ropes, so I hurried over for them.

Unsure of whether I could just walk in or not, I knocked on the door. To my surprise, the door swung open to reveal a tall boy with brown hair and brown eyes covered in what looked like oil.

"Hi," I said awkwardly. He seemed unfazed, rubbing the rest of the oil off of his hands with a dirty cloth.

"Can I help you?" he asked and looked at me curiously.

"Yeah, um, I heard that you had primordial gold fashioned into ropes?" The awkward tension continued, and if anything, grew. Yet, he seemed completely oblivious to it.

"Yeah, we've got it. What do you need it for, um..." he trailed off, both of us realizing that we had yet to exchange names.

"Lillian," I supplied. "Lillian Rowan."

He shot me a look of surprise and reinspected me. I shifted uncomfortably under his heavy gaze. "Lillian?" I nodded. "The daughter of Pan? That girl?" he asked. I nodded again. He smiled for the first time and held out his hand for me to shake, "Nice to meet you. I'm Jake Mason, head of the Hephaestus cabin."

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied. Neither of us moved from our positions, with the exception of my fingers twirling my hairband and making various knots from it. "So...the rope?" I reminded.

He shook his head, snapping out of a daze and said, "Right. I'll go get it. Do you want to follow me?"

"Sure." I stepped in and was surprised to see the cabin mostly full, especially since I had assumed that all the campers were out by where we landed, probably talking to Percy.

"Why are you all in here and not outside with the rest of the campers?" I asked. Jake turned and stared.

"Is there something going on?" he asked.

I blushed. Now I was going to sound conceited. How do I explain that everyone came out to see us? "No, there were just a lot of campers who saw us landing, so they came to talk to Percy and Grover," I settled for.

"Oh. Well, in this cabin, we really don't hear about much going on outside of it. We're too loud and busy for events that we don't know of ahead of time," came his response. After a beat, he added, "I hope you aren't offended we didn't come out to greet you. We were completely unaware of your arrival."

"I wasn't offended. Just curious. Thanks," I said, grabbing the heavy amount of rope out of his hands. I almost dropped it, assuming from the way he picked it up easily with one hand, that it was light.

He waved a hand dismissively. "Anytime you need something, there's a 98% guarantee that my cabin has it."

With that, I rushed back to the infirmary, doing my best to not trip over the dangling rope...much.

* * *

><p>By the time that I got back, Will had already hooked up many unfamiliar machines to Physis, two of which I actually knew. One was illustrating her breathing patterns and the other showed her temperature. If she decided to try and flash out, her breathing levels would rise - a sign she had awoken - and her temperature would rise - a sign that the molecules in her body were moving faster to allow her to teleport.<p>

Will helped me speed up the process of tying her securely to the bed. When that was finished, I looked to Chiron and asked, "Well, what now?"

**AN: Hey guys! I know this is short. As in, waaay to short for my liking and probably yours, but I'm having drawing a blank on what I want Annabeth to do, and I would really appreciate it if you could send me some ideas. Review, please!**


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